Detroit Police Chief James Craig is answering a
death threat made through social media by a gang member, saying it will not deter the work that has been done to reduce crime in the city.
"No way will we back off. You don't get to threaten a police chief," Craig said at a news conference Sunday, the
Detroit Free Press reported.
"You threaten a police chief, you threaten every member of that police department. You threaten a police chief, and you threaten every member of our community. That's not acceptable."
Craig said his department became aware of the threat, which came from a gang member who is likely part of a criminal narcotics network, on Friday.
"'We need to clap him out,'" Craig said the man wrote, which is slang for shooting someone to death.
Craig explained that criminals are angry about the crackdown that began when he took office last summer, revealing that the police conduct an average of 35 weekly raids on known drug dens.
"This reiterates that we're doing the right thing," he said.
"We will find you," Craig warned the perpetrator, adding, "and we're going to dismantle your criminal enterprise."
The FBI is investigating the threat,
USA Today reported, noting that officials from the Michigan Attorney's Office, the Michigan State Police, and the Detroit Crime Commission were also working to uncover the criminal network.
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