Detroit police officers to be handed pink slips

Layoffs due to federal grant funds running out

DETROIT – One hundred Detroit police officers are being laid off.

Local 4 learned Tuesday that the officers were told to pick up their pink slips during a meeting with the police chief on Wednesday.

Sources said the layoffs are because federal grant money is running out. The hope is that the city can qualify for further federal grant money in order to keep the officers by showing that the loss of officers would cause a hardship.

The officers have been told to attend a meeting at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the academy where they will receive pink slips.

The department also announced that precincts will close to the public at 4 p.m. in an effort to keep less police officers behind desks and more no the street.

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing's spokesman, Stephen Serkaian, did not confirm the number of layoffs for any department but said they are part of the 1,000 city-wide layoffs that the mayor has already announced.

Serkaian said while officers and other public safety groups were  not immune to the layoffs, the cuts to those departments won't be to the levels some City Council members have proposed.