Detroit FBI chief will lead new anti-crime group

By Ed White Associated Press DETROIT (AP) -- The head of the FBI in Michigan, who has managed major cases of terrorism and public corruption, is retiring to lead a new local organization that acts as a liaison between the public and law enforcement. Andy Arena is going to work for the Detroit Crime Commission, the group said recently. He has been the FBI's top agent in Detroit for five years and has spent more than 20 years with the agency, in Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Ohio. "His reputation speaks for itself. He's an outstanding leader," said deputy director Ron Reddy, a former FBI agent. Arena, who turns 50 in May, said staying with the FBI would likely mean a move away from Michigan, a step he's not willing to take with his wife and three daughters. "This is a job you put before your family," he said of the FBI. "I missed a few meals, a few recitals, a few soccer games. I don't want to do that anymore." The commission, a nonprofit group formed last year, has a small staff of retired law enforcers. "Our mission is to foster cooperation between law enforcement and citizens of metro Detroit," Reddy said. "We're not answering 911 calls. We don't have police powers to conduct investigations," he said. "One of the things we're going to focus on is analytical work. ... We spend time with the community to find out what they feel is important." Arena has talked candidly about corruption in Detroit and Wayne County government. Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick faces trial in September on a bushel of charges, following a long string of guilty pleas from others at city hall. "The message I want to send is, 'We're coming after you,'" Arena warned public officials in 2009 when then-council member Monica Conyers admitted taking bribes. Arena defended the FBI's handling of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to trigger a bomb in his underwear on an airplane on Christmas 2009. Critics believed the young African should have been turned over to the military. He pleaded guilty in 2011. Perhaps the most significant loss during Arena's tenure occurred when a judge recently acquitted seven members of a Michigan militia who were charged with conspiring to attack the U.S. The FBI built the case over 18 months with a paid informant and an agent who were planted inside the group. Arena declined to comment on the outcome. Published: Mon, Apr 9, 2012