Duggan, Detroit police chief to visit White House to discuss police funding

Washington — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Police Chief James White will meet with President Joe Biden Friday in Washington, according to the White House. 

Duggan and White will be joined by other local elected officials, chiefs of police and community violence intervention experts to discuss how the city has benefited from $50 million appropriated through the American Rescue Plan aimed at violence reduction. 

The funding has gone to a new police training facility in Detroit, as well as programs aimed at gun violence prevention, police retention and gunshot detection, a White House official said Thursday. 

The city of Detroit announced earlier this year it hoped to use an additional $7 million of American Rescue Plan funds to expand the ShotSpotter program, which uses microphones to pick up the sounds of gunfire and alert police. 

Later Friday afternoon, Biden plans to call upon state and local governments to use American Rescue Plan funding for community safety and to deploy it quickly, more than a year after the package was approved. 

As of late April, around one third of American Rescue Plan funds still hadn't been appropriated by U.S. states, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Michigan had appropriated around 58% of its funds. 

Duggan last visited the White House in late April, when he had lunch with Biden to discuss "how the American Rescue Plan Act is transforming Detroit" with job training, infrastructure and other investments, Duggan spokesman John Roach told The Detroit News at at the time. 

rbeggin@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @rbeggin