A city watchdog agency responsible for rooting out waste, fraud, abuse and corruption is investigating Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison.
Bettison and “his actions related to social media posts,” have prompted a probe by Detroit’s Office of Inspector General. The police chief has come under fire in recent weeks over interactions with a local activist.
The OIG’s office declined to comment further on its investigation, including when it was initiated or more specifics of what is being reviewed. The OIG’s jurisdiction extends to all city employees, contractors and those seeking to do business with the city.
An OIG investigation is different from a criminal investigation. Under the City Charter, the OIG has authority to subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony and require the production of evidence relevant to a matter under investigation. If the OIG has probable cause to believe there’s been an illegal act, the OIG can refer the matter to prosecuting authorities. The office is also empowered to debar individuals or agencies from doing business with the city for a maximum of 20 years.
DPD detained activist Jahdante Smith and seized his cell phone on Aug. 19, two weeks after Bettison spoke with Smith about potentially compromising photos of Mayor Mary Sheffield and her former boyfriend, Marvin Walker, that Smith posted to social media. At the time, Smith was being investigated by DPD for an unrelated incident after a resident filed a complaint with police alleging that Smith threatened her.
As posts have spread across social media, some people in and outside of Detroit have expressed outrage about Detroit police’s treatment of Smith and the confiscation of his phone. There are also concerns about Bettison’s alleged interference and potential corruption in the mayor’s administration. Others have been vocal in defense of Sheffield and expressed upset about the treatment of her online and in the media. The comments have spread to public meetings with commenters taking their concerns to City Council and the Board of Police Commissioners.
Smith contends the seizure of his phone was a form of retaliation for his refusal to take down the photos he had posted of Sheffield after being asked to do so by Bettison. Bettison has called those claims “completely false.”
Sheffield has denied any involvement with the incident. Walker could not be reached for comment by BridgeDetroit. He was also being investigated for an unrelated incident by Detroit Police.
The Detroit Police Department is no longer handling any cases involving Walker and Smith, spokesperson Jasmin Barmore said.
“We transferred all cases involving Jahdante Smith and Marvin Walker to an outside law enforcement agency,” she said. She declined to say what agency would be taking over and declined on behalf of the department to comment on the OIG investigation.
According to an internal police document, the FBI has taken over “the Public Corruption side of the case.” It is not clear what specific case the document was referring to.
The Detroit FBI Field Office did not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation or “specific investigative activity,” spokesperson Jordan Hall said in an emailed statement.
“As a general matter, the FBI routinely receives and evaluates information from members of the public and other law enforcement agencies,” Hall’s statement read. “Any information received is assessed objectively and in accordance with our authorities and established policies. The receipt or review of information does not, by itself, indicate that an investigation has been opened.”
What led to the probe
Bettison, in an Aug. 26 statement, acknowledged that he asked Smith to remove the photos of Sheffield because, “as a man and a father, I found them to be inappropriate and believed they were intended to shame and humiliate a woman — something no woman deserves.”
The separate criminal investigation involving Smith, the chief said in the statement, was unrelated and began prior to the Aug. 5 phone call Bettison had with Smith.
“The evidence (in the case of the citizen complaint alleging threats made by Smith) was presented to a judge, who issued a search warrant that ultimately led to the seizure of Mr. Smith’s phone,” Bettison said in the statement. “Any suggestion that I influenced or used the investigation for any other purpose is completely false because the facts and timeline speak for themselves.”
This information was also confirmed in that same internal police document.
The incident with Smith was originally reported by the Michigan Enjoyer. In that report, the publication suggested Sheffield and Walker conducted financial fraud, with Walker facilitating kickbacks to Sheffield during her time on City Council. Walker recently denied those claims.
Sheffield has maintained that money exchanged between her and Walker during the time they were dating was entirely personal, and has firmly denied allegations of corruption and fraud.
Michigan State Police confirmed in an email to BridgeDetroit that the department does not have an active investigation into Walker or Smith at this time. The Michigan Attorney General’s office did not respond to BridgeDetroit’s inquiry about whether it was conducting an investigation.
Smith told BridgeDetroit that he was not involved in initiating any external investigations about his interactions with the chief, including with the OIG, and said he could not comment as to whether he was communicating with investigators from any outside agencies.
“I’m not at liberty to speak on that,” he said.
The content of the conversation
According to Smith, he and others initially posted photos and videos of Sheffield and Walker to social media in late June. Among these posts were photos and screenshots of texts alluding to money being exchanged.
The materials Smith and others posted in June started getting more attention in July, and, on Aug. 5, Bettison asked Smith to take down the photos during the phone call. Barmore confirmed that the call, which was posted on YouTube, is authentic. Smith also provided BridgeDetroit with a recording of the call.
Smith, in the call, told Bettison he’d had bad dealings with Walker since the two first connected in late 2025 and said he should have been warned by Sheffield or others to steer clear of him.
“Mary Sheffield knew for years that this person (Walker) was not above board, and when she seen me around him or could tell I was around him, she could have let me know to leave him alone and it would have caused me a lot less grief,” Smith said in the Aug. 5 call.
During the call, Smith claimed to Bettison that people were reaching out to him on behalf of the mayor, saying Smith was “causing trouble,” and that he was receiving “threatening” calls. He talked with Bettison about his desire to have a meeting with the mayor on behalf of a coalition to discuss community concerns that he said he’d been seeking for seven months.
Smith said that he “has a lot of stuff that I could release that could be damning,” telling Bettison, “I’ve been mild to this point.”
Bettison told Smith he’d been “following the Marvin Walker story,” and said he’d use all resources he could to hold Walker accountable. Bettison encouraged Smith to come in and make a statement about Walker. Bettison agreed to help Smith and the coalition arrange a meeting with the mayor. Smith told BridgeDetroit that meeting has not been granted.
The chief, during the Aug. 5 conversation, also referenced the photos posted by Smith, telling him: “It’s freedom; you can do what you want, but I don’t like it,” and called the posts a “distraction.”
“What I would like for you to do, I would like for you to take those pictures down off your Facebook page. I’m asking you as Todd,” Bettison said in the recording. “… whether you take it down or not is not going to stop me from requesting a meeting (with the mayor). You can always put it back up. I’m just asking you to take it down for me.”
Bettison has previously said his outreach to Smith was personal, separate from his position as the chief and in no way instigated by the mayor. Smith told BridgeDetroit he does not have a personal relationship with Bettison.
“So for him to say that he could separate himself from his job as a chief makes no sense,” he said. “Also, if he thought me to be a criminal or have any criminal elements, why would he say we have a personal relationship?”
Sheffield’s office declined BridgeDetroit’s request for an interview with the mayor, but provided a copy of a statement from her that has been circulating since Aug. 26.
In the statement, Sheffield noted that over the past year “private photographs and communications (involving Walker) have been used to bully, harass, and intimidate me.”
Walker is the founder and operator of Detroit Power Detroit Community Outreach, formerly Elite Focus Community Outreach, a local nonprofit. DPDCO was forced to close its transitional housing program last year following a zoning-related legal battle with the city. The organization’s website is password-protected as of Tuesday evening. The nonprofit remains in good standing with the state.
Sheffield, in her statement, said that no city funds were ever provided to Walker, nor has he ever received any city contracts.
The mayor confirmed in her statement that during her relationship with Walker, “I personally loaned him tens of thousands of dollars.” Any funds he provided to her were repayment for money owed and did not pertain to any city business, she said.
“Furthermore, I have never used the power of my office to instigate any action or inaction involving Mr. Walker, including through the Detroit Police Department,” Sheffield said. “To the extent that Mr. Walker or his associates are being engaged by law enforcement, that’s a consequence of their own conduct that has nothing to do with me.”
