Napoleon passed the entrance examination, entered the academy, and graduated in 1975. When a police recruiting van parked near the store one day, he decided to get information about careers in law enforcement. After graduating from Cass Technical High School in 1973, Napoleon landed a job as a shoe salesman in downtown Detroit.

Napoleon was the son of a Baptist minister and one of seven children who grew up on the city ’s west side. When the promotion was announced, many of Napoleon ’s friends, family, and colleagues admitted to reporters that he had long harbored an ambition to be Detroit ’s police chief. Napoleon, a lifelong Detroiter, succeeded his mentor, outgoing police chief Isaiah McKinnon. He is one of the youngest bosses of a major urban police force in the United States.

Veteran police officer, Benny Napoleon, was named the Detroit ’s chief of police in July of 1998 by Mayor Dennis Archer.