Napoleon was appointed Wayne County Sheriff after the position became vacant in 2009. He was elected to remain in the position in 2012 and was re-elected every four years since, most recently in 2020. He spent most of his career at the Detroit Police Department, starting in 1975 and worked his way up to police chief, assuming the position in 1998. He retired from DPD in 2001 and became Wayne County assistant executive in 2004.
Napoleon ran for mayor in 2013, losing to the current mayor, Mike Duggan, by about 10 percentage points.
Napoleon, the son of a minister, was a Detroit Public Schools student, graduating from Cass Technical High School, later earning his bachelor s degree from Mercy College of Detroit and his doctorate from Michigan State University.
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Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, who dedicated decades to public service and became a household name to metro Detroiters, died Thursday evening following a month-long fight with COVID-19.
Napoleon was with family when he died at Henry Ford Hospital, his daughter Tiffani Jackson said. He was 65.
In a text message while still at the hospital, she thanked the community for its prayers and asked that they continue.
As Wayne County residents think of her father, she also asked them to turn their memories toward his dedication. Remember his generosity, integrity and faithfulness as a public servant for over 45 years, she said. Remember how kind he was to everyone he came in contact with and how much he loved his family.
At the the protest where the video was filmed, Detroit Will Breathe members were demanding the resignation of Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who, Bass tells
Billboard, has continuously failed the citizens of Detroit.and presides over a police department that is rife with corruption and violence. Detroit Will Breathe is also focused on defunding the police and having those funds rerouted into schools, health centers, parks and other public services.
It was Saunderson who had the idea to film the video for We All Move Together at an event where Detroit citizens were making history by literally moving together. For Bass, the project was an easy sell. The father of techno collabing with the movement for Black and Brown lives in Detroit immediately made sense to me, he says.