Graffiti Message Threatens Detroit Police Chief James Craig

DETROIT, MI — Police officers in Detroit are on heightened alert after a graffiti message threatening Police Chief James Craig and other law enforcement officers was found spray-painted on the outside wall of a building.

The messages: “Kill all police,” written in black, and just below it in white lettering, “Kill James Craig.” The building is located near West State Fair Avenue and Exeter Street in Detroit, and authorities believe it was vandalized sometime overnight Thursday or Friday.

Threats against police officers have become more common amid escalated tensions with civilians, but police are taking the messages seriously and consider them a threat against all law enforcement officers.

“Cowards,” Craig said of the vandal or vandals behind the threat in an interview WDIV-TV. “... Not one of them would do the job that our men and women in blue would do. We run toward gunfire. They run away. They’re cowards. They hide behind the basements of their parents' home in some instances. In this case, the person probably came out at dark and did this.”

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The vandal could face a felony terror threat charge.

“Given the environment that we’re in today, we don’t take threats lightly,” Craig told the TV station. “Any time you threaten a Detroit police officer, and now the Detroit police chief, that's a threat on all of us.”

A similar message was left on the wall of a nearby business two weeks ago, according to WDIV. Police are investigating both incidents.

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