DETROIT – A former sheriff’s deputy says he is stopping crime with the help of his pink-and-white "Glory Wagon" van and the power of prayer.
Darron McKinney starts each day with a prayer for Detroit police.
“Lord, I ask you right now to send your angels to protect each and every police officer in Detroit,” McKinney prays. “Cover them right now.”
When the 50-year-old man is on one of his prayer patrols he listens to the scanner, then prays for the people involved and the police who are on the way.
He hits the road in his pink-and-white van that features Bible verses and a license plate that reads “GLRYWGN.”
Besides prayers, McKinney provides protection at all hours by pulling into Detroit gas stations to watch over customers at the pumps.
“They see this truck, they change their minds immediately,” McKinney said of lurking criminals.
He believes he’s stopped countless crimes and carjackings by just being visible in his van.
“Like the Bible says, darkness can’t handle the light,” McKinney said. “When you see this truck, you see light.”
McKinney first made a name for himself as a Wayne County sheriff’s deputy who also played saxophone.
His career was cut short by devastating injuries to both legs during a violent takedown of a suspect.
McKinney was devastated when his friend Anthony Tolson was killed in a carjacking on Christmas Eve.
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“It was just wrong what they did,” McKinney said.
He said his calling it to take to the streets as Detroit’s guardian angel, letting residents know that someone cares about the city, cares about the police and cares about keeping people safe.
“It ain’t about me,” McKinney said. “It’s about God, plain and simple.”