Police officers are important when it comes to road safety. Not only do they conduct necessary traffic stops, but they also help combat car theft. However, a new report says that several Detroit police officers have been patrolling illegally due to a lack of license. 

Police officers keep roads safe with traffic stops and other means, but some have been doing so illegally

According to The Detroit Free Press, “at least” 32 Detroit police officers have been conducting traffic stops and other police activities illegally because they lack the proper law enforcement licenses. The Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards has confirmed this news.

Specifically, these unlicensed police officers were hired between November 2019 and August this year. Naturally, many are wondering why these law enforcement officers never became licensed. The report says it was due to no fault of the officers. Instead, the state agency has said that the Detroit Police Department failed to request activation for the officers’ licenses. 

DPD pulls 30 officers off the street over inactive, lapsed law enforcement licenses

As mentioned, it’s against the law for police officers to conduct traffic stops and do other activities without active licenses. Making matters worse, it seems fairly straightforward for qualified officers to get the proper license. Apparently, the agency only needs to send a request to MCOLES that includes an “executed oath of office and an attestation by the agency that the individual meets the Commission’s licensing standards.”

For its part, the Detroit Police Department says it was unaware of the issue. The department also said this issue is not “indicative of the quality of work each member performs on a day-to-day basis.” It is unclear how this will impact the previous traffic stops and other work the impacted officers have done. However, MCOLES will look into the employees and determine if they are eligible for a law enforcement license. 

Notably, they won’t be on duty until further notice.

For more reading, check out this recent article about a car theft in Florida.