Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield is at the center of a media storm after Police Chief Todd Bettison contacted a community activist seeking the removal of photographs showing the mayor with her former boyfriend from social media.
Bettison asked self-described community activist Jahdante Smith to take down Facebook images of Sheffield and her ex-partner, Marvin Walker.
Smith said the photographs appear to date from 2022 and were posted in July this year at Walker’s request. One image shows Sheffield kissing Walker on the cheek, while another depicts the pair seated together on a gold throne.
Smith alleged that the Detroit Police Department retaliated after he refused to remove the pictures, claiming officers seized his phone.
The department disputes that account, saying the phone was taken during the execution of a search warrant connected to allegations that Smith had threatened another person’s life.
Bettison has acknowledged contacting Smith on August 5 to request that the images be deleted, a call confirmed by a recording. However, he said he was acting as a private citizen rather than in his official role as police chief.
“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,” Bettison told Fox News.
“The ongoing criminal investigation involving Mr. Smith is completely unrelated to this matter and began before my phone call with him on August 5.”
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield is facing media scrutiny after her police chief sought the removal of old photographs showing her with her former boyfriend.
The photographs show Sheffield with her ex, Marvin Walker. In one, the mayor kisses Walker on the cheek; in another, the pair sit together on a gold throne.
The images show Sheffield with her former partner, Marvin Walker, including one photograph of the mayor kissing his cheek and another showing them seated together on a gold throne.
“That investigation was initiated after a citizen filed a complaint with the Detroit Police Department alleging that Mr. Smith threatened her life.
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“The evidence was presented to a judge, who issued a search warrant that ultimately led to the seizure of Mr. Smith’s phone.
“Any suggestion that I influenced or used the investigation for any other purpose is completely false because the facts and timeline speak for themselves.”
The Detroit Office of Inspector General confirmed to the Daily Mail that its investigation into Bettison remains ongoing, but officials declined to provide additional details.
Sheffield also offered few details when Fox News asked her about the investigation.
The Democratic mayor said she had “no comment” on the probe but added: “I remain confident in the chief’s ability to lead our city in every major category of crime.
“Violent and non-violent crime continues to go down, and I think that’s what Detroiters care about. I think all of us, including the media, should allow that investigative process to play out.”
Sheffield, 39, has served as Detroit’s mayor since January 2026. She married Rickey Jackson Jr., a program manager at a nonprofit, the previous month.
Police Chief Todd Bettison has acknowledged asking Smith to delete the photographs, a request captured in a recording, but said he made it as a private citizen rather than as chief.
Self-described community activist Jahdante Smith (pictured) has claimed that Police Chief Todd Bettison asked him to remove the images of Sheffield with her ex, Marvin Walker
When asked whether she had a personal reaction to seeing the photographs of herself emerge online, she told the reporter to ‘calm down’, before reiterating that she had no further comment.
The Daily Mail has contacted the DPD, the mayor’s office, and Smith for comment.
Sheffield, 39, has been serving as the Detroit Mayor since January 2026. She married Rickey Jackson Jr, a program manager at a nonprofit, the month before.