Detroit — A Detroit police sergeant and an officer have been suspended without pay for 30 days after contacting federal immigration authorities during separate traffic stops, a decision that department leadership says violated clear policy.
The suspensions were approved Thursday night by the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners at the request of Todd Bettison. Both officers will retain their medical benefits during the suspension but will not receive pay.
The cases stem from two separate incidents.
In the first, Sgt. Denise Wallet responded to a Feb. 9 traffic stop after a driver allegedly presented a fraudulent electronic Michigan driver’s license and could not be identified. According to department leadership, Wallet contacted U.S. Border Patrol during the stop. Federal agents later arrived and detained the driver for alleged immigration violations.
Wallet has maintained that she contacted Border Patrol solely to assist with identifying the individual after a fingerprint scanner failed. Her attorney argues she did not call federal agents to enforce immigration law and says another officer was already handling translation services at the scene.
In a separate incident on Dec. 16, 2025, another Detroit police officer contacted federal immigration authorities during a west side traffic stop while investigating a felony warrant. That individual was also detained by federal agents.
Chief Bettison has publicly stated that the Detroit Police Department does not conduct immigration enforcement and that contacting Border Patrol, ICE or other federal agencies for translation services is strictly prohibited under department policy.
Wallet, who has been with the department for 27 years, filed a federal lawsuit earlier Thursday alleging her constitutional rights were violated and that she did not break policy. She also sought a temporary restraining order to prevent her termination, but that request was denied due to a procedural issue, according to her attorney. She is demanding a jury trial.
Chief Bettison has indicated he intends to seek termination for both officers. Any firing would require a command hearing, a process that could take up to 21 days.
The dispute now shifts to both internal proceedings and federal court, where Wallet’s lawsuit will challenge whether her actions crossed a policy line or whether due process protections were violated.
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