By George Hunter
The Detroit News
DETROIT — Wayne County prosecutors said Thursday they plan to refile a criminal charge against Detroit Police Commissioner Darious Morris for being a felon in possession of a weapon, stemming from an alleged 2021 incident in Detroit.
The planned refiling of the charge, which was dismissed after a Detroit police officer failed to appear for a hearing, comes amid criticism of Morris for allegedly posting the addresses of police officers on social media because he was upset over how he was treated.
The president of the Detroit Police Lieutenants and Sergeants Association criticized Moore during Thursday’s meeting of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioner, with the commissioner firing back at the union president for not shaking his hand before the meeting.
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Following Thursday’s meeting, Morris told The Detroit News he hadn’t heard about the charge being reinstated and said the criticism against him is “a misunderstanding.”
“We’ll work it all out,” Morris said.
Morris, a former mixed martial arts fighter, was elected to the police board to represent District 3 as an unopposed write-in candidate just nine months after he was released from probation following his guilty plea for assaulting a police officer in 2023. The charges stemmed from Warren, where he threatened to shoot a police officer, he said.
Morris was also sentenced to probation in 2009 after pleading guilty to impersonating a police officer and forgery.
On Nov. 30, 2021, Morris was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon, and a warrant for his arrest was issued on Dec. 2, 2021, according to court records. The case was dropped after a Detroit police officer failed to appear, said Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Maria Miller.
“It was dismissed at the (preliminary examination) on March 15, 2022 , because the police officer witness failed to appear,” Miller said in an email. “We requested that DPD re-issue the case at the time, but that did not happen. We will be asking that the case be re-issued again.”
Under Michigan law, prosecutors have until Dec. 2, 2026, to file charges before the statute of limitations expires. Miller did not give a time when the charge is expected to be refiled.
Resignation demanded
The National Association of Police Organizations sent a letter to the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners on Tuesday, asking the board to demand Morris’ resignation.
Morris reportedly became incensed when a lieutenant in Detroit’s 9th Precinct wouldn’t allow him in the facility without going through the metal detector. Morris complained about the incident on Facebook and, according to police and the letter from the Virginia -based law enforcement advocacy group, has harassed the officers and put personal information about them on social media.
“He is instigating citizens against police officers, going so far as to post the personal identifying information online of a police commander,” the Jan. 13 letter read. “It is beyond the pale for a Police Commissioner to dox an officer. With this act, Commissioner Morris is fanning the flames against law enforcement.
”... (W)hen a Police Commissioner is as biased against police officers as Mr. Morris is and willing to act on this anti-police bias, it is nearly impossible to build, let alone maintain, trust,” the letter said. “Commissioner Morris’s actions and words do a grave injustice to the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners and the work you have set out to accomplish. It is incumbent upon you to denounce his conduct as unacceptable to that of a Police Commissioner and urge his resignation. The officers and the citizens of Detroit deserve better.”
Board Vice Chairman Darryl Woods said he’s aware of the controversy, but said he was unable to comment about it.
“The board received a letter from an attorney about this, so I can’t talk about it, other than to say I hope it gets resolved,” said Woods, who did not elaborate about the letter he said the board received.
Mark Young, president of the Detroit Police Lieutenants and Sergeants Association, said Morris was “using his personal agenda against the police.”
“You’re not worthy to sit in oversight of the police department,” Young said during Thursday’s meeting at Detroit Police Public Safety Headquarters. He pointed to the rear door of the meeting room, beyond which the gallery of Detroit police officers who were killed on the job is displayed.
“There are people on that wall who gave their lives trying to protect people who don’t like them,” Young said. “You should go look at those pictures.”
Morris, one of six new members on the board, responded during the meeting that he tried to shake Young’s hand prior to the meeting, but was rebuffed.
“The union rep made a comment against me because I’m doing my job,” Morris said. “Before he made his comment, I went up to shake his hand, but he gave me the cold shoulder. He’s not trying to build a bridge.”
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said in a statement: “As a Board of Police Commissioner , it is an expectation by not only the police department, but community members as well, for them to hold themselves to the highest regard. You are elected officials who we look to set examples for best practices when it comes to being a leader.”
Impartiality questioned
The Detroit Police Command Officers Association union sent a letter to the police board Thursday denouncing Morris.
“The (union) is deeply disturbed by the recent inflammatory attacks made against one of its members on social media by (Morris),” the letter said. “The (union) is particularly concerned that Commissioner Morris would abuse his position of privilege, as a commissioner, to publicize personally identifiable information about (an officer).
“Commissioner Morris’ actions represent bias and animus towards law enforcement and demonstrate that he cannot make impartial decisions related to members of the Detroit Police Department ,” said the letter written by the union president, Cmdr. Stacy Alvarado . “Commissioner Morris’ decision to post personally identifiable information of a police officer not only constitutes an unwarranted invasion of that officer’s privacy but also represents a reckless and wanton disregard for that officer and his family’s safety.”
Alvarado added the union will “take whatever legal action is necessary to ensure that (officers’) rights and safety are secure.”
Morris was sentenced in 2024 after pleading guilty in Wayne County Circuit Court to assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. He was sentenced to probation and released Feb. 21, 2025.
In Macomb County, Morris pleaded guilty in 2009 to impersonating a police officer and forgery. He served two years in prison.
Morris said on his Facebook page that he is a “professional MMA fighter.” According to the website tapology.com, Morris fought one match on Oct. 18, 2019, as part of the Motor City Cagefights 7 event that ended in a no-contest.
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