There is power in second chances. When folks make mistakes, oftentimes they learn from them, move on and go on to live productive and successful lives and careers. However, for one Black Detroit police commissioner, folks are calling for him to resign…less than one month into his tenure after his past came back to haunt him.
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Darius Morris ran as a write-in candidate for the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners in the November 4, 2025, general election, seeking to represent District 3. After he pitched himself as a redemption story— a man who had seen the inside of a prison cell but emerged ready to fix a broken system— he won the election and assumed office on January 1.
The minister and community outreach chaplain worked “to make a difference in the lives of at-risk teens,” according to a Facebook post. However, the skeletons in his closet picked the lock and now, he’s being called to resign.
Morris has a felony conviction, dating more than a decade back, for mortgage fraud in which he served two years in prison, local news station WXYZ 7 reported. He was accused of threatening to shoot a Warren, Michigan, police officer in 2023 after allegedly pulling up to a traffic stop he had nothing to do with. Morris told Channel 7 that he was upset and apologized for his actions.
In 2021, he was also charged for possessing a weapon as a felon, but the gun charge was dismissed after an officer failed to show up in court. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said she would take a closer look at the dismissed charge, in addition to asking that a warrant be resubmitted.
Morris allegedly publicly complained about interactions with officers in the city’s 9th Precinct, and was accused of doxxing numerous Detroit cops online. In recent days, he reportedly apologized on Facebook for “my social media negligence” and admitted that he “took things too far on social media and that I could have went a better route.”
Despite taking accountability, the National Association of Police Organizations asked the self-proclaimed People’s Commissioner to resign in a letter to the police board last week, BridgeDetroit.com reported. Members of the Detroit Police Department also urged Morris to step down, and he agreed on Jan. 16— until he changed his mind.
Morris, who was also sentenced to probation in 2009 after pleading guilty to impersonating a police officer and forgery, initially said he would resign to prevent negative attention on the board. But three days later, his attorney Edward Martell announced on Jan. 19 that he would not resign, citing support from community members.
“We want to clarify for the record that Darius Morris will continue to serve the people that have elected him,” Martell said. “To remove him from the board, or to ask him to resign from the board, would be to deprive all these Detroiters that have elected him of their right to vote.”
Board Vice Chairman Darryl Woods said he’s aware of the controversy surrounding Morris, but said he “can’t talk about it, other than to say I hope it gets resolved,” per Police1.com.
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