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Benny Napoleon

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Benny N. Napoleon
Wayne County Sheriff
In office
July 6, 2009 – December 17, 2020
Preceded byWarren Evans
Succeeded byRaphael Washington
Chief of the Detroit Police Department
In office
July 1998 – July 15, 2001
MayorDennis Archer
Preceded byIsaiah McKinnon
Succeeded byCharles Wilson
Personal details
Born(1955-09-10)September 10, 1955
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died (aged 65)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLisa Cunningham (divorced)
EducationMercy College of Detroit (BA)
Detroit College of Law (JD)
ProfessionPolice officer
Websitebennynapoleon.com

Benny Nelson Napoleon (September 10, 1955 – December 17, 2020) was an American attorney, law enforcement officer, and politician who served as the sheriff of Wayne County, Michigan from 2009 to 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the chief of the Detroit Police Department, and was also a candidate for the office of Mayor of Detroit in the 2013 mayoral election.[1]

Early life and education

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Born in Detroit in 1955, he was one of seven children of his mother Betty and father Harry Napoleon, who was a minister. Napoleon graduated from Cass Technical High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Detroit Mercy and Juris Doctor from the Detroit College of Law.[2]

Career

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Napoleon entered the Detroit Police Department in 1975. He was also a member of the Detroit Police basketball team that played in international police tournaments in Ontario, Canada from 1978 to 1980. He served as Detroit Police Chief from 1998 to 2001 under Dennis Archer. In 2004, he was made Assistant Wayne County Executive, and in 2009, he became Wayne County Sheriff.[3]

2013 Detroit Mayoral election

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Main article: 2013 Detroit mayoral election

A Democrat, Napoleon entered Detroit politics in 2013, announcing his intentions to run for mayor in the city's non-partisan primary to replace Dave Bing, who announced he would not seek re-election after the appointment of an emergency manager for the city.[4][5] During the primary campaign, he referred to himself as a "businessman with a badge".[6] Napoleon placed second in the primary despite his most serious competition,[7] former Wayne County Prosecutor and Detroit Medical Center CEO Mike Duggan having to run as a write-in candidate,[8] and lost the mayoral race to Duggan on November 5, 2013.[9]

In 2017, Napoleon was wiretapped by the FBI as part of a corruption investigation.[10] No charges were ever filed on Mr. Napoleon.

Illness and death

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In November 2020, it was announced that Napoleon had tested positive for COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan. He was admitted to a local hospital on November 21 and placed on a ventilator.[11] On December 17, after various sources reported that Napoleon had died, his family released a statement on Facebook that Napoleon remained in stable condition.[12] Napoleon died later that same day.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ "Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon dies at age 65 after battle with COVID-19". WXYZ. 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  2. ^ Gray, Kathleen; Ives, Mike (2020-12-18). "Benny Napoleon, Michigan Sheriff and Ex-Detroit Police Chief, Dies at 65". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  3. ^ "Bio of Benny Napoleon". Huffington Post.
  4. ^ Matt Helms (March 26, 2013). "Benny Napoleon kicks off bid to be Detroit's next mayor". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  5. ^ "Bing won't seek re-election as Detroit mayor". The Big Story. Archived from the original on 2013-06-25.
  6. ^ @BennyNapoleon (5 August 2013). "I am a business man with a badge, and together we will transform this city one square mile at a time..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Sarah Cwiek; Steve Carmody (August 7, 2013). "Duggan makes history with winning write-in campaign; Napoleon rallies supporters". Michigan Radio. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  8. ^ "Mike Duggan will run for Detroit mayor as write-in candidate". FOX 2 Detroit. June 28, 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-09-13. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  9. ^ Ashley Woods (November 6, 2013). "Mike Duggan Becomes Detroit's First White Mayor In 40 Years". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  10. ^ Ikonomova, Violet (29 December 2017). "Reports: Detroit city councilman and former state rep. targeted in public corruption probe". Detroit Metro Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  11. ^ Khan, Nisa. "Wayne County Sheriff Napoleon on ventilator during COVID-19 fight". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  12. ^ "Family of Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon continue to 'enlist prayers' for his recovery". WXYZ. 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-18.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon dies at 65 from COVID-19". FOX 2 Detroit. 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  14. ^ "Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon dies from COVID-19". WDIV. 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
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