Freshly-elected Detroit Board of Police Commissioner Darious Morris said on Friday, Jan. 16 that he plans to resign after he was criticized for calling out officers in the 9th precinct by name on social media for alleged racist behavior and after the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office decided to re-file a 2021 gun charge against him.
Morris’ comments on social media prompted a letter from the police union calling for his resignation, describing Morris’ posts as “dangerous” and “alarming anti-police rhetoric.”
Morris, 38, was charged in 2021 with felon in possession of a firearm, but that case was dropped after a Detroit police officer failed to make an appearance in court, the Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s Office confirmed.
Worthy’s office recently asked Detroit police to re-submit a warrant request amid controversy surrounding Morris’ conduct on Facebook. Earlier this month, Morris, who represents District 3, complained publicly about a handful of 9th precincts officers, but took particular issue with a commander who would not allow him into the precinct’s building without taking off his belt, belongings before going through a metal detector — which was allegedly racist behavior, according to Morris’ Facebook posts that are now removed.
Morris posted the officer’s his name and photo online and attempted a social media campaign “to get rid of” the officer. Morris told the Free Press that police informed him the officer had feared for his and his family’s safety. Because of that, Morris had a change of heart, eventually deleting the Facebook posts.
Morris told the Free Press on Friday, Jan. 16 that he’s deciding on whether to resign before the weekend or after the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday.
“The resignation is just simple,” he said. “The board … they don’t need this type of publicity at the start of the term. I have to consider them as well.”
The two police unions in Detroit have criticized Morris for the posts − the National Association of Police Organizations went so far as to send a letter to the Board of Police Commissioners asking they demand that Morris resign.
William Johnson, the union’s executive director, wrote that Morris engaged in “alarming anti-police rhetoric” and “inflammatory speech,” which he also described as “dangerous and sows not only distrust in the Police Department but also the officers’ trust in the work of the Commission,” according to the letter obtained by the Free Press.
“Upon being sworn in on December 17, 2025, Comissioner Morris stated that he was eager to improve the relationship between the youth of Detroit and the Police Department. Not even a month later, he is instigating citizens against police officers … it is beyond the pale for a Police Comissioner to dox these officers,” Johnson continued.
“They are worthy of respect.”
Worthy’s office said the decision to refile charges is unrelated to Morris’ conduct on social media.
“At the time it happened WCPO requested that DPD re-issue the case. This is what we routinely do when officers fail to appear, but that did not happen, when it was requested. We have asked that the case be re-issued. When we receive the warrant request from DPD it will be reviewed,” Maria Miller, a spokesperson for Worthy’s office, said in an email.
And when the Free Press asked Morris what he thought about Worthy reissuing the charge, he said: “I believe Kym Worthy to be a fair individual. She’s going to look at the totality of all the circumstances. And she’s going to make the right decision. I want Kym Worthy to really look at what’s taking place here,” Morris said.
The Detroit Police Department declined comment.
Morris, a real estate agent, won a write-in campaign in District 3 by 72% of the votes during the Nov. 2025 election. He campaigned on being relatable and known to his constituents − he grew up in the district, one of the city’s bloodiest known as the “Red Zone” − and said he wanted to bridge the gap between Detroit youth and law enforcement.
Morris told the Free Press he’s owned up to past fraud and forgery charges related to real estate in 2009 and 2010 that eventually landed him in prison for two years in his early 20s. He said when he got out, he wanted to do real estate “the right way” and give back to his community. He said he’s also took accountability and apologized to a Warren officer he allegedly threatened to shoot during a heated 2023 traffic stop. He pleaded guilty and was placed on probation on a charge of assaulting a police officer.
Morris said he looked up to Darryl Woods Jr., vice chair of the BOPC, who was granted commutation in 2019 after nearly three decades behind bars for first-degree murder and is now a leader in the community, he said.
Morris loves a story of redemption, he said.
“You can make a mistake, you own the mistake, you take responsibility for it, you pay whatever the penalty is behind it, you pay for it — but you can still go on.”
Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at asahouri@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit police commissioner plans to resign amid criticism
Reporting by Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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