Ella Bully Cummings wants to be Judge???? In case you forgot, please read this and remember who she really is:
July 29, 2004
BY JIM SCHAEFER AND M.L. ELRICK
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's top aide got out of a speeding ticket last month after berating officers and calling the police chief from her city-owned car, the officers said.
"I've had dope men treat me better," Detroit Police Officer Zack Weishuhn said of Christine Beatty, the mayor's chief of staff. Weishuhn told the Free Press his supervisor advised him not to ticket Beatty.
The June 21 episode represents another controversial run-in between Beatty and the department she oversees as Kilpatrick's closest adviser. Last year, she convinced the mayor to fire the head of police internal affairs, triggering a lawsuit that could cost taxpayers millions and that has raised persistent questions about the conduct of Beatty, the mayor and other staff members.
Beatty declined comment.
Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings said Wednesday she did not intervene on Beatty's behalf.
Beatty, who has a history of speeding, was driving about 15 m.p.h. over the limit on a rainy night when she zipped past a marked police car traveling on Livernois, according to interviews and a police report.
Weishuhn said he and Officer P.J. Tomsic interrupted their response to a routine call at 8:50 p.m. to stop Beatty, whose driving prompted another motorist to express concern to the officers.
When Weishuhn approached the window of Beatty's city-issued Ford Crown Victoria, he said she asked him: "Do you know who the (expletive) I am?"
Weishuhn, who had just returned from the military, told the Free Press he did not recognize her. He said Beatty, a civilian, flashed a police-like badge but wouldn't show it a second time. She did turn over her license.
"She was just screaming at me, cussing me out," he said. "As I went back to my car, I heard the chief come on the radio."
Bully-Cummings said she thinks the officers recognized Beatty and may have harassed her, which the officers denied. Bully-Cummings said Beatty called her that night not for help but to let the chief know what was happening. She said Beatty did not file a complaint.
The chief said Beatty did not receive special treatment.
Weishuhn said he didn't ticket Beatty on the recommendation of Sgt. Robert Lalone, whom he called to the scene.
"It would have been more of a headache than anything else," Lalone told the Free Press. "I'm positive there would have been repercussions. . . . They're both good guys," he said of the officers.
Lalone said that after he arrived he went to Beatty's car to apologize. He said she was polite and handed him her phone so the chief could talk to him.
"I just told her what was going on," Lalone said of the chief.
After the traffic stop, Weishuhn and Tomsic were summoned to their precinct house, the 12th (Palmer Park) Precinct, where they met with the inspector in charge of police operations.
Lalone said he heard the inspector tell the officers to be more discreet. He said he stands by his decision to let Beatty go.
"I'd show the same courtesy to any city worker," Lalone said. "Because we're all underpaid and overworked."
Secretary of State records show Beatty received four speeding tickets from 1998 to 2001, including two on Sept 1, 2001. The state sent her a letter warning her about unsafe driving.
Her license was suspended four times for nonpayment of tickets, which she eventually cleared up. Since 2001, her record shows no tickets.
Beatty is a key figure in a lawsuit filed last year by former Deputy Chief Gary Brown, who headed internal affairs. Brown claims, among other things, that he was fired over investigations that might have exposed an alleged romantic relationship between Kilpatrick and Beatty. Beatty has denied the charges.
In a deposition, Kilpatrick's lawyer instructed him not to answer questions about any relationship with Beatty.
Contact M.L. ELRICK at 313-223-3327 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Contact JIM SCHAEFER at 313-223-4542 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
July 29, 2004
BY JIM SCHAEFER AND M.L. ELRICK
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's top aide got out of a speeding ticket last month after berating officers and calling the police chief from her city-owned car, the officers said.
"I've had dope men treat me better," Detroit Police Officer Zack Weishuhn said of Christine Beatty, the mayor's chief of staff. Weishuhn told the Free Press his supervisor advised him not to ticket Beatty.
The June 21 episode represents another controversial run-in between Beatty and the department she oversees as Kilpatrick's closest adviser. Last year, she convinced the mayor to fire the head of police internal affairs, triggering a lawsuit that could cost taxpayers millions and that has raised persistent questions about the conduct of Beatty, the mayor and other staff members.
Beatty declined comment.
Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings said Wednesday she did not intervene on Beatty's behalf.
Beatty, who has a history of speeding, was driving about 15 m.p.h. over the limit on a rainy night when she zipped past a marked police car traveling on Livernois, according to interviews and a police report.
Weishuhn said he and Officer P.J. Tomsic interrupted their response to a routine call at 8:50 p.m. to stop Beatty, whose driving prompted another motorist to express concern to the officers.
When Weishuhn approached the window of Beatty's city-issued Ford Crown Victoria, he said she asked him: "Do you know who the (expletive) I am?"
Weishuhn, who had just returned from the military, told the Free Press he did not recognize her. He said Beatty, a civilian, flashed a police-like badge but wouldn't show it a second time. She did turn over her license.
"She was just screaming at me, cussing me out," he said. "As I went back to my car, I heard the chief come on the radio."
Bully-Cummings said she thinks the officers recognized Beatty and may have harassed her, which the officers denied. Bully-Cummings said Beatty called her that night not for help but to let the chief know what was happening. She said Beatty did not file a complaint.
The chief said Beatty did not receive special treatment.
Weishuhn said he didn't ticket Beatty on the recommendation of Sgt. Robert Lalone, whom he called to the scene.
"It would have been more of a headache than anything else," Lalone told the Free Press. "I'm positive there would have been repercussions. . . . They're both good guys," he said of the officers.
Lalone said that after he arrived he went to Beatty's car to apologize. He said she was polite and handed him her phone so the chief could talk to him.
"I just told her what was going on," Lalone said of the chief.
After the traffic stop, Weishuhn and Tomsic were summoned to their precinct house, the 12th (Palmer Park) Precinct, where they met with the inspector in charge of police operations.
Lalone said he heard the inspector tell the officers to be more discreet. He said he stands by his decision to let Beatty go.
"I'd show the same courtesy to any city worker," Lalone said. "Because we're all underpaid and overworked."
Secretary of State records show Beatty received four speeding tickets from 1998 to 2001, including two on Sept 1, 2001. The state sent her a letter warning her about unsafe driving.
Her license was suspended four times for nonpayment of tickets, which she eventually cleared up. Since 2001, her record shows no tickets.
Beatty is a key figure in a lawsuit filed last year by former Deputy Chief Gary Brown, who headed internal affairs. Brown claims, among other things, that he was fired over investigations that might have exposed an alleged romantic relationship between Kilpatrick and Beatty. Beatty has denied the charges.
In a deposition, Kilpatrick's lawyer instructed him not to answer questions about any relationship with Beatty.
Contact M.L. ELRICK at 313-223-3327 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Contact JIM SCHAEFER at 313-223-4542 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .