DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Detroit police officer accused three different times of abuse was forced to give up his badge after an arbitrator upheld the department’s decision to fire him.
Arttez Williams was the subject of a 2022 7 Action news investigation revealing a history of assault allegations, including two that led to criminal charges. In January, Williams collected his pay from the Oakland County Jail after being sentenced to 15 days in lockup.
"He took an oath to stand for justice, to protect and serve," said Detroit Police Commissioner Cedric Banks. "He wasn’t protecting. He wasn’t serving."
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The first allegation came in 2020 when Williams served a three-day suspension for pushing his girlfriend, then throwing her cell phone across the room. Williams said it was self-defense.
Six months later, he was arrested by Oak Park police for assaulting his girlfriend’s brother. Police said he punched him in the face with a closed fist and, after— a fight ensued—returned with a firearm “pointed at the ground.”
Williams pleaded guilty to assault and battery, served a 10-day suspension and stayed on the force.
Less than a year after his assault and battery plea, Oak Park police were called again, this time by the mother of one of Williams’ children.
The woman said she was “forcefully pushed” from behind by the officer, who then “pulled her hair…from the front.”
“This is a situation that’s strong misconduct,” Commissioner Banks said. “You beat your girlfriend up. You beat her brother up...brandishing a gun. That’s a no-no.”
Williams denied the allegations, but was charged with domestic assault. He pleaded it down to “disorderly person” and was locked up in the Oakland County jail. He was suspended, but still collecting a paycheck from DPD.
This summer, Chief James White moved to fire Williams and recently, an arbitrator upheld the decision.
Banks said that Williams should have been terminated after his second offense.
"It should have never got to the third situation," he said.
In a statement, the Chief White said, in part: “While it’s regrettable that a 7-year veteran police officer’s career had to end under these circumstances, the gravity of the offenses coupled with the member’s prior history made this action necessary. Detroit Police Officers are expected to act above reproach and with respect for all people they interact with, both on and off duty.”
Reached by phone, Williams said the allegations against him are largely false, and that he is a victim as much as anyone else.
He said he has not been able to find work as a police officer since his termination.
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.