Detroit Department of Transportation Chief of Staff Jennie Whitfield is accused of showing up drunk at the Rosa Parks Transit Center in her city-issued car shortly before midnight in late January, verbally berating employees, assaulting a security guard, and nearly falling from a balcony while chasing a pigeon around the building with a bottle of water.
But instead of disciplining Whitfield, DDOT Director Robert Cramer suspended the whistleblower who reported the incident. The whistleblower, DDOT Chief Safety Officer Corey Holmes, oversees safety for DDOT buses and their passengers.
The Jan. 23 episode is described in internal security reports, witness statements, audio recordings, and accounts from DDOT employees reviewed by Metro Times.
Despite the episode, Whitfield remains chief of staff and still has access to a city-issued car, and it’s unclear whether she’ll face any discipline. But Holmes, who alerted the department to the allegations against Whitfield, was suspended pending termination on Friday, just six hours after Metro Times began asking questions about Whitfield.
Holmes, who became DDOT’s chief safety officer in 2023, oversees the agency’s safety management system and holds multiple federal transit safety certifications. His job includes investigating incidents, reviewing safety hazards, and ensuring the department complies with national transit safety standards.
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