Saturday, January 22, 2005

Kilpatrick says he'll answer SUV questions

Associated Press

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DETROIT -- Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said he and Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings would offer a full explanation Saturday for a luxury SUV leased by the city that has provoked a storm of questions and criticism.

The city's $25,000 two-year lease of the 2005 Lincoln Navigator drew attention after the mayor announced the city would have to cut more than 900 jobs and eliminate 24-hour bus service to stem a looming financial crisis.

WXYZ-TV in Detroit reported the SUV was for Kilpatrick's wife, Carlita. The mayor's office and the police department say it was for police use.

"For the civility of the city and the integrity of the city, I need to come forward and say something, and in a move for leadership and the spirit of cooperation I'll do that tomorrow," Kilpatrick told WXYZ on Friday. "I don't think I did anything wrong."

Police said earlier that the vehicle was intended for undercover use. However, TV stations showed the SUV in question, and it had police lights.

Kilpatrick acknowledged that his wife and children are driven in police vehicles for security reasons.

Steve Wilson, a reporter for WXYZ, confronted Kilpatrick this week in Washington, where he was attending a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Saying he would be willing to answer questions on live TV, Kilpatrick kept walking as a member of his security team shoved Wilson against a wall.

Kilpatrick said he and other officials would review video of the incident to determine whether disciplinary action against the officer is warranted.

The mayor said he would also address allegations about wild partying that were reported in the Detroit Free Press on Friday.

The report was based on a September affidavit by Washington, D.C. police Sgt. Tyrone Dodson that is part of a lawsuit by two Detroit officers. In it, Dodson described accompanying Kilpatrick to a night club during a trip to the capital in 2002. The mayor went in a rented limousine "with 10 or more people, mostly young women dressed in evening wear." Dodson said he didn't recognize any of the women as members of the mayor's staff.

Dodson said other officers complained about having to accompany Kilpatrick "during his reported nonstop club hopping when he was in town." As a result, the department's executive protection unit decided not to provide protection to the mayor outside of official business so as to avoid "embarrassing publicity."

"The reason I came home early today is I want to go hug my wife and children. They go through a lot with me having this job," Kilpatrick said Friday after getting off a plane at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. "People will say and do anything to get in the papers."