Ella Bully-Cummings

Ella M. Bully-Cummings (born 1958) is an American police officer who served as the chief of the Detroit Police Department from 2003 to 2008.

Early life and education Bully-Cummings was born in Japan, the second-oldest of eight children of an African American repairman and a Japanese-American chef. Her parents met when her father was serving in the U.S. Army as part of the American Occupation forces. The family settled in Detroit, her Mississippi-born father's adopted hometown, before she was two years old.

While in high school she worked at a movie theater, and between graduating from high school and going into the police force in 1977 she worked as an administrative assistant at Redford High School and sold real estate. She then went on to graduate cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law with a J.D. in January 1998 and was sworn into the State Bar of Michigan in May 1998.

Under her leadership, in 2004, the Detroit Police Department realized the greatest reduction in major crimes in 41 years, and a record reduction of 15.2% in violent crimes.

Slander suit Mayor Kilpatrick, his Chief of Staff Christine Beatty and Bully-Cummings were named in a lawsuit brought about by Detroit Police officers Zack Weishuhn and Patrick Tomsic, who claimed that they were slandered in the media by city officials.

The lawsuit stemmed from a 2004 incident in which the two police officers pulled Beatty over for speeding. The officers claimed that Beatty was irate at being stopped and bluntly asked the officers, "Do you know who the fuck I am?" when the officers came to the vehicle. The officers alleged that, while stopped, Beatty called Bully-Cummings to have the officers called off, which they were ordered to do. When reports of the incident started to surface in the media, Bully-Cummings said the officers harassed Beatty, and Kilpatrick said the stop "looked like a setup".

As part of a settlement, the Detroit City Council voted to approve a $25,000 mediation recommendation to the two officers in February 2008, after previously rejecting the settlement twice. The offer was accepted.

On September 4, 2008, Bully-Cummings announced her retirement, minutes after Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and resigned from office as part of a plea deal. She offered to assist her successor in transitioning to the duties of Police Chief if asked to do so.

Awards and recognition Bully-Cummings is a 2005 recipient of the General Motors and Black Entertainment Television’s "History Maker in the Making" Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Center for Women and Policing.

Personal life

Bully-Cummings is married to Attorney William Cummings, a retired Detroit police commander. She was previously married to former Wayne County Sheriff and former Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans.