Former UAW President Rory Gamble resigns from Detroit Board of Police Commissioners

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Just five months into a five-year term on the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners (BOPC) , Rory Gamble has resigned. The board voted to accept his resignation Thursday. Gamble, who Mayor Mike Duggan appointed to be a member-at-large, began his term in November .

Gamble said he was resigning “due to personal reasons” but did not elaborate in an email addressed to the board and mayor.

“I am grateful for your appointment and your support during my tenure. I wish you and the Board continued success. I appreciate your understanding,” he wrote.

The resignation was emailed to city officials on April 10.

Gamble resigned just two days after Outlier Media published a review of commissioners’ meeting attendance. Gamble had missed half of the 12 full board meetings in the first three months of this year.

Gamble did not respond to Outlier Media’s request for a comment about his resignation.

“We appreciate the volunteer service that Mr. Gamble was able to provide and respect his decision to resign from his seat,” the mayor’s office said in a statement emailed to Outlier.

Gamble is a former Ford Motor Co. factory worker and served as the first Black president of the United Auto Workers . He was acting president from November 2019 to June 2021 and is credited with helping the union avoid a federal takeover.

With Gamble’s resignation from the BOPC, the mayor will need to appoint a replacement to serve until November 2028. The appointee must be a resident of Detroit and will need to be approved by the City Council.

The Mayor’s Office said it’s in the process of identifying a potential replacement and expects to “be able to name one very soon.”

The BOPC was created in 1974 to provide oversight to the Detroit Police Department. It’s made up of seven elected members — one from every district — and four mayoral appointees. Elected members are expected to serve four-year terms; appointed members are expected to serve five-year terms.

Detroit Documenters Gabriel Gamlin and Colleen Cirocco contributed to this story.

Former UAW President Rory Gamble resigns from Detroit Board of Police Commissioners · Outlier Media