Detroit Police Chief Asked Activist to Take Down Photos of Mayor Sheffield Kissing Ex-Boyfriend
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison is coming under media scrutiny in the wake of reports that he phoned a community activist and asked him to remove old photos on Facebook of Mayor Mary Sheffield kissing ex-boyfriend Marvin Walker when she was a council member.
Reporter Charlie LeDuff of the Michigan Enjoyer first reported that Bettison called activist Jahdante Smith to ask him to remove the photos of Sheffield and Walker, who has criminal convictions for forgery and identity theft.
“What I would like for you to do, I would like for you to take those pictures down off your Facebook page,” Bettison said in the phone conversation, according to audio Smith provided to the Free Press. “I would like for you to do that. I’m asking you.” LeDuff also played the audio in his report.
LeDuff reports that Walker shared with the Michigan Enjoyer romantic photos with him and Sheffield, as well as texts and videos, when she was a council member.
LeDuff reports that the city acknowledges the former relationship.
Violet Ikonomova of the Detroit Free Press reports that Smith had posted undated photos since July of Sheffield and Walker, with some showing them kissing.
The Freep obtained a search warrant and Detroit police report showing officers confiscated Smith's cellphone on Aug. 19 in connection with a separate complaint involving a woman who accused him of harassing her online and making a threatening phone call.
But Smith tells the Freep he believes his phone was taken in an effort to cover up Sheffield’s relationship.
In a statement to the Freep, Bettison said:
"I asked Mr. Smith to remove the photos because, as a man and a father, I found them to be inappropriate and believed they were intended to shame and humiliate a woman — something no woman deserves." He said he also spoke with Walker on July 11 and asked him to stop disseminating the photos if, in fact, he was the one doing it.
John Roach, a spokesman for the mayor, said Sheffield had no involvement in asking the men to remove the photos and had no idea that Bettison had intervened on her behalf.
Sheffield, who had been a city council member for 12 years, was elected the city's first woman mayor in November 2025. The following month she married Rickey Jackson Jr. at The Godfrey hotel in Corktown.
No BS Newshour Episode #432
Scandal in City Hall
(0:04) EXCLUSIVE- Detroit Mayor’s Ex Boy Toy Tells All
He describes bribes, kickbacks, shakedowns and he’s gone to the Feds.
(3:02) The Chief of Police enlisted to make it go away.
(9:20) Witnesses tell of threats and handcuffs.… pic.twitter.com/hrRJJaa1Y8
— Charlie LeDuff (@Charlieleduff) August 26, 2026
Read more: The Michigan Enjoyer
https://deadlinedetroit.com/articles/35008/detroit_police_chief_asked_activist_to_take_down_photos_of_mayor_sheffield_kissing_ex-boyfriend
Reporter Charlie LeDuff of the Michigan Enjoyer first reported that Bettison called activist Jahdante Smith to ask him to remove the photos of Sheffield and Walker, who has criminal convictions for forgery and identity theft.
“What I would like for you to do, I would like for you to take those pictures down off your Facebook page,” Bettison said in the phone conversation, according to audio Smith provided to the Free Press. “I would like for you to do that. I’m asking you.” LeDuff also played the audio in his report.
LeDuff reports that Walker shared with the Michigan Enjoyer romantic photos with him and Sheffield, as well as texts and videos, when she was a council member.
LeDuff reports that the city acknowledges the former relationship.
Violet Ikonomova of the Detroit Free Press reports that Smith had posted undated photos since July of Sheffield and Walker, with some showing them kissing.
The Freep obtained a search warrant and Detroit police report showing officers confiscated Smith's cellphone on Aug. 19 in connection with a separate complaint involving a woman who accused him of harassing her online and making a threatening phone call.
But Smith tells the Freep he believes his phone was taken in an effort to cover up Sheffield’s relationship.
In a statement to the Freep, Bettison said:
"I asked Mr. Smith to remove the photos because, as a man and a father, I found them to be inappropriate and believed they were intended to shame and humiliate a woman — something no woman deserves." He said he also spoke with Walker on July 11 and asked him to stop disseminating the photos if, in fact, he was the one doing it.
John Roach, a spokesman for the mayor, said Sheffield had no involvement in asking the men to remove the photos and had no idea that Bettison had intervened on her behalf.
Sheffield, who had been a city council member for 12 years, was elected the city's first woman mayor in November 2025. The following month she married Rickey Jackson Jr. at The Godfrey hotel in Corktown.
No BS Newshour Episode #432
Scandal in City Hall
(0:04) EXCLUSIVE- Detroit Mayor’s Ex Boy Toy Tells All
He describes bribes, kickbacks, shakedowns and he’s gone to the Feds.
(3:02) The Chief of Police enlisted to make it go away.
(9:20) Witnesses tell of threats and handcuffs.… pic.twitter.com/hrRJJaa1Y8
— Charlie LeDuff (@Charlieleduff) August 26, 2026
Read more: The Michigan Enjoyer
https://deadlinedetroit.com/articles/35008/detroit_police_chief_asked_activist_to_take_down_photos_of_mayor_sheffield_kissing_ex-boyfriend
