James E. Craig (born 1956) is an American law enforcement official who served as the chief of the Detroit Police Department from 2013 to 2021.

[5] His father was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served as a reserve police officer at the time of the 1967 Detroit riot, when James Craig was in fifth grade.

[10] He replaced Chester Logan, who had held the position on an interim basis since the previous October when his predecessor, Ralph Godbee, was fired for having sexual relations with a subordinate.

[15] In 2020, Craig criticized the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,[17][18] alleging that the two federal agencies had used Kenyel Brown as an informant.

[17][18] Craig also clashed with local judges and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, viewing bonds set for defendants as too low, and plea agreements and sentences too lenient.

"[17] At times, Craig made headlines by describing people involved in mass shootings in the city as "urban terrorists".

He has also initiated programs to cut gang membership and large scale sweeps aimed at finding people with outstanding warrants.

[23] In August 2019, Craig defended the police use of facial recognition software after the use of the technology was criticized by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.

[24] The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners ruled for the facial recognition policies to be limited to still images of suspects in criminal investigations, which Craig welcomed and heralded.

[34] State election officials ruled that Craig, alongside four other Republican primary candidates, had failed to submit enough valid signatures to appear on the ballot, thus rendering him ineligible to compete for the party nomination.

[35] Craig filed a lawsuit in a bid to get on the primary ballot, but the suit was rejected by the Michigan Court of Claims.