Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield is embroiled in a media storm after her police chief tried to get photographs of the politician with her ex-boyfriend deleted from social media. 

Police Chief Todd Bettison asked self-described community activist Jahdante Smith to remove the images of Sheffield with her ex Marvin Walker from Facebook.  

Smith said he believes the photographs date back to 2022, and that he posted them in July this year at the request of Sheffield's former lover. One shows the mayor kissing Walker's cheek, while another shows them sitting together on a gold throne. 

Smith claimed that when he refused to delete them, the Detroit Police Department (DPD) retaliated by taking his phone. 

The DPD has disputed this, saying they were carrying out a warrant at the time after Smith was accused of threatening the life of another person. 

Bettison has admitted that he did reach out to Smith asking him to delete the images on August 5, as proven by a recording of the call, but said he was acting as a civilian at the time and not in his capacity as 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,' he 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.

'That investigation was initiated after a citizen filed a complaint with the Detroit Police Department alleging that Mr Smith threatened her life. 

'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 the investigation into Bettison is ongoing, but would not give further details. 

Sheffield was equally scant on detail when asked about the probe by Fox News. 

The Democratic mayor told the outlet she had 'no comment' on the investigation, adding: '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. And I think all of us, including the media, should allow that investigative process to play out.' 

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.