Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans was forced to resign Wednesday, the same day that a local news station aired a slick six-minute video Evans made to pitch a reality TV show called The Chief, starring himself. Evans’ ouster, and the public release of the video, ends a weeks-long story that began in tragedy but culminated in something closer to farce.The tragedy occurred on May 16, when a Detroit police officer shot and killed 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones during a raid, while being accompanied by cameras filming The First 48, another police reality show, which airs on the A&E Network. After the incident, Mayor Dave Bing canceled a deal with The First 48 that allowed the show to tag along on raids (a deal Evans had signed — though the original contract with the show apparently predates both Bing’s and Evans’ tenures), and told the News at the time that he would have Deputy Mayor Saul Green “reining” Evans in.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=123600