Five people were arrested yesterday in connection with a death threat against Detroit Police Chief James Craig, the Detroit News reports. After the threat was uncovered Friday, Craig said he believed it was made because drug dealers were upset that police have ramped up their drug raids. He said the threat was made on a social media site using the slang phrase, “We need to clap him out.” Craig said the narcotics network believed to be involved in the threat extended to Los Angeles. “We're raiding, on average, 35 dope houses a week, and we've done five large-scale sweeps, and it's putting a serious crimp in the dope dealers' money,” Craig said. “What I take from this is, what we're doing is working. This guy actually did me a favor, because he let me know we're making a difference by going after these dope dealers.”
Craig, who said the threat was like “something that happens in a third-world country,” added it's the first time in more than 30 years in law enforcement that his life has been been seriously threatened. The threat emerged a day after about 400 Detroit officers raided 14 locations over six square miles. Police officials said it may have been the largest such sweep in the police department's history.