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Metal Detector Busted At Precinct Where Cops Were Shot

DETROIT (WWJ) - A Detroit Police Department precinct where a gunman walked in and shot four cops is once again without a metal detector at the front door.

It was January 23, 2011, a when a man opened fire inside the 6th precinct near Plymouth and Warwick. By the time cops pulled their guns and killed the attacker, a commander and three officers were wounded.

Then-Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee called it a "teachable moment," calling for a change in security measures in the department.

At the 6th precinct, a metal detector was added at a front door, which became the sole visitor entrance. But that metal detector wasn't working on Wednesday and police officers talking to WWJ's Mike Campbell say it's been inoperable "for several months."

After people pass through the non-functioning screener, an officer wands them with the tool you see used most often after a metal detector alerts them to a potential problem.

A Detroit police spokesperson said the metal detector at the 6th precinct has been broken before, and as long as visitors are being wanded they are being adequately screened and the officers inside are safe.

The spokesperson said they're looking into whether or not the metal detector can be repaired or if it would make more sense to replace the instrument.

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