[1][2] In the mid-1980s she worked for the Detroit Free Press as a receptionist, secretary, and administrative assistant when hundreds of police officers were laid-off due to budget cuts.

[2] The Detroit Police were under the supervision of US District Judge Julian Abele Cook Jr. until 2008 per a US Justice Department investigation.

[citation needed] Bully-Cummings was held in contempt of court in late 2005 for not reinstating four inspectors and three commanders, who were let go as a part of the restructuring of the police department to save money.

[6] Mayor Kilpatrick, his Chief of Staff Christine Beatty and Bully-Cummings were named in a lawsuit brought about by Detroit Police officers Zack Weishuhn and Patrick Tomsic, who claimed that they were slandered in the media by city officials.

[citation needed] The lawsuit stemmed from a 2004 incident in which the two police officers pulled Beatty over for speeding.

When reports of the incident started to surface in the media, Bully-Cummings said the officers harassed Beatty, and Kilpatrick said the stop "looked like a setup".

On September 4, 2008, Bully-Cummings announced her retirement, minutes after Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and resigned from office as part of a plea deal.