(WXYZ) — At a press conference on Friday to discuss alleged misconduct regarding two police officers, Interim Detroit Police Chief James E. White also addressed a 7 Investigation on a troubled sergeant who amassed over 80 citizen complaints.
DPD Sgt. Stephen Kue was taken off patrol and Chief White launched an investigation this week into his alleged misconduct.
"What I'm challenging our executive team to look at is a pattern and practice of conduct regardless of the outcome of an individual case," said Chief White. "It's anyone, not just Sgt. Kue, with that number of cases, that number of complaints along the same lines ... are they capable of having a job as important as one in the Detroit Police Department? Wearing this badge is not a right, it's a privilege and you have to conduct yourself in a manner that supports that privilege."
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Chief White said he will provide more updates on the investigation at a later time.
Since he joined the force, Kue has been accused repeatedly of excessive force, using hostile and racist language and harassing people of color who say their biggest crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The average uniformed officer in Detroit has received just over eight citizen complaints, according to internal data provided by the Detroit Police Department. Some officers go their entire career without receiving one.
But in Kue’s 12 years of service with Detroit Police, he has amassed 85 complaints.
7 Action News could not find any officer who has racked up as many complaints as quickly as Kue.
More striking than the number of complaints is the racial makeup of those lodging them.
For complainants who identified their race, nearly every one of them is listed as a person of color, according to internal department records.
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.
