Detroit police to help law school look at old cases

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit police chief is pledging to help University of Michigan Law School in its ongoing efforts to reopen cases of people who may have been wrongly convicted of crimes.

The law school’s Innocence Clinic gets tips or finds new evidence to try to overturn convictions. Police Chief James Craig says his department will work with the law school to cut through red tape, look at old evidence files and provide other assistance.

Craig said last Thursday he doesn’t want innocent people in prison. He says the real criminal could be on the streets committing more crimes.

Craig mentioned a case reported by The Associated Press. A judge has ordered a new examination of bullet evidence from a 1992 murder. Desmond Ricks has been in prison for 25 years.