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Biography · Biography & Culture

James Craig

1956–

United States

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Biography

James E. Craig (born 1956) is an American law enforcement officer and politician who served as the chief of three municipal police departments: the Portland (Maine) Police Department (2009–11), the Cincinnati Police Department (2011–13), and the Detroit Police Department (2013–21). Prior to serving as a department chief, Craig had worked as an officer in the Detroit Police Department from 1977 to 1981 and in the Los Angeles Police Department from 1981 to 2009. At both Portland and Cincinnati, he was the first Black person to have served as the chief of police.

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Black heritage reference ↗

Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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