By George Hunter
The Detroit News
DETROIT — A day after he was ticketed for allegedly having sex with a prostitute inside his truck on the city’s northwest side and trying to use his position to curry favor with the officers who’d busted him, Detroit Police Commissioner Bryan Ferguson announced his resignation.
Late Wednesday, hours after news broke of the incident in which Ferguson reportedly asked a Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy “can you help me out?” the former commissioner sent out a statement denying wrongdoing, and saying he intended to remain on the board but would not attend the next few meetings.
But on Thursday, the board released a second Ferguson statement announcing his resignation.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the residents of Detroit in police oversight,” the statement said. “After further consideration of the best interests of my family and the board, I am choosing to resign. Again, I admonish the board and the public to remain focused on the important work of oversight, transparency and accountability.”
The resignation takes effect immediately, Ferguson said in the statement.
The incident involving the prostitute happened at about 7 a.m. Wednesday, when an undercover narcotics and morality squad spotted Ferguson sitting in his truck in the Happy Homes neighborhood near Schoolcraft and Sorrento on Detroit’s northwest side, said Wayne County Sheriff’s Capt. Jason Bates.
After Ferguson and the woman exited the truck and sheriff’s deputies began issuing the citations, the former police commissioner told the deputies that he was on the police board and asked “Can you help me out?” Bates said.
Ferguson was given a misdemeanor citation for indecent obscene conduct, and his truck was towed, Bates said.
He denied the allegations in a statement Wednesday night.
“The allegation is untrue and the situation is a big misunderstanding,” he said. “I do not want this personal matter to become a distraction from the important oversight work this board has to do,” he said. “For that reason, I am making the decision to step back from the board meetings for a time.”
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