Lucas Bell 
The auto industry is everything to the City of Detroit. Not only was this town responsible for putting the world on wheels, but the people of this city love cars in an unrivaled way. That is especially true when it comes to muscle cars, which have arguably been the Motor City’s greatest contribution to the performance vehicle segment. In a recent interview with Dodge shared by the Metro Detroit News, Detroit Police Chief James Craig shared his own love for these machines, including his personal 2020 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack 392 Widebody.
In the interview uploaded to the publication’s Instagram page, Chief Craig shows off his Mopar muscle car, before sharing a bit of his personal history with the automotive industry. According to Chief Craig, he initially intended to pursue a career as an automotive engineer, after studying automotive technology at Cass Technical High School right here in the Motor City. He would go on to work the line at Chrysler’s former Lynch Road Assembly Plant, while studying mechanical engineering at Lawrence Tech. Things changed however, and he ended up joining law enforcement some 44 years ago now.
Despite giving up on these former career ambitions, Chief Craig maintains that he is a muscle car man through and through. He attributes this love of high-performance machines to the Plymouth Fury his grandfather passed down to him. Like many young folks when they get their first car, Chief Craig could help but modify the 318 cubic-inch engine that powered the Fury. Since then, he has maintained Mopar fanaticism.
The level of performance on tap from his 2020 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack 392 Widebody isn’t lost on the Police Chief either. In fact, he is keenly aware that his behavior in the car sets a precedent for the whole city. Regardless of Craig’s personal behavior in the car however, Detroit is undergoing a bit of a street racing rebellion. Whether it be highway take overs or impromptu intersection drift competitions, Detroiters have been wildin’ out lately in their muscle cars.
The Chief understands that this comes from a place of enthusiasm however, and says that the Detroit Police Department are working with these folks to find a common ground. In his eyes, events like RoadKill Nights up the road in Pontiac are a perfect way to go about this. Having spent quite a bit of time at this particular event, he might just be onto something.
While we don’t normally associate the police with automotive enthusiasm, Chief Craig is clearly a gearhead in his own right. You don’t go out and buy a 485 horsepower Dodge Challenger Scat Pack 392 Widebody if you don’t love cars. And that is about as Detroit as it gets.
