PONTIAC (WXYZ) — A Detroit police officer with a history of physical violence continued to collect his pay this month while he was an inmate in the Oakland County jail.
Officer Arttez Williams was locked up starting February 3 by Judge Michelle Friedman Appel after his third assault allegation since he became a cop.
The officer has been suspended with pay for more than a year, according to police.
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Williams first served a three-day suspension in 2020 for pushing his girlfriend, then throwing her cell phone across the room.
Six months after that, he was arrested by Oak Park police for assaulting his girlfriend’s brother. According to a police report, he punched him in the face with a closed fist and, after a fight ensued, Williams returned with a firearm “pointed at the ground.”
Williams pleaded guilty to assault and battery, served a 10-day suspension and stayed on the force.
“What you’re seeing is a perpetrator who’s choosing to use violence,” said Sarah Rennie, who leads the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. “And brandishing a weapon is always a serious matter.”
Rennie’s comments were made last November, when Williams pattern of misconduct was first revealed by 7 Action News.
Less than a year after his assault and battery plea, Oak Park police were called again, this time by the mother of one of Williams children.
She said she was “forcefully pushed” from behind by the officer, who then “pulled her hair…from the front.”
Charged with domestic assault, Williams pleaded down to “disorderly person.” He's been suspended with pay since November 8, 2021.
“Those three incidents shouldn’t be seen as separate. That’s the same officer conducting himself in a violent matter, three separate times,” Rennie said.
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On February 3, Williams was sentenced for his most recent case when a judge sentenced him to serve 15 days in the Oakland County jail.
As of Monday, the jail’s website showed Williams was still locked up. By Thursday, however, he was no longer listed on the jail’s website.
While he was locked up, Williams continued to collect his pay.
“It’s a no brainer that this officer should not be paid while sitting in jail,” said police commissioner Ricardo Moore. “I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. I wish the department had brought this to the board’s attention.”
On top of his violent behavior, Williams had also been cited by DPD for getting into two preventable vehicle crashes.
The Detroit Police Department declined comment, but said Williams disciplinary hearing is upcoming.
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.
