Hero Story

I respectfully submit my nomination for “Michigan Hero Award” for Corporal Danielle Woods. Corporal Danielle Woods outstanding work ethic and the will to exceed is a perfect reflection of the women throughout the Detroit Police Department. Corporal Woods is a Detroit native and 22-year veteran with the Detroit Police Department. She is currently assigned to the Chief’s Neighborhood Liaison unit where she (in addition to LGBT Liaison) coordinates and oversees the administrative operations of the City-Wide Citizen Radio Patrol and Volunteer Angels Campaign. Corporal Woods was appointed as the first LGBT Liaison Officer for the police department in 2013 and formulated the first LGBT Advisory Board Committee under the appointment of Chief James E. Craig. Her efforts are said to be a driving force in the LGBT community where she focuses on the safety of community members and “Bridging the Gap” between law enforcement and the LGBT community. She has a great rapport with the community and does very well in organizing community programs and projects, not to mention helping detectives investigate crimes against and within the LGBT community. Corporal Officer Woods works closely with LGBT organizations and community leaders known and on the rise to strengthen relationships and change the conversation and negative stigma that has clouded the LGBTQ+ community and law enforcement for years. She graduated from Cleary University where she pursued a degree in Business Management & Marketing. Corporal Woods is a solution seeker and a change agent. This is evident by her affiliations listed below:
• LGBT Chamber of Commerce (Member)
 Out & Equal National Chapter
 C.O.R.E. (Committee On Race & Equality)
 Chair- Chief’s LGBT Advisory Board & Action Team
 LGBTQ Community Chat Coordinator
 Instructor LGBTQ Sensitivity & Awareness Training
 Security Strategist for Motor City Pride
 Citizen’s City-Wide Radio Patrol Coordinator
 Mayor Duggan City-Wide LGBT Task Force
 Affirmations Board of Directors
1st LGBTQ Community Council
Corporal Woods is a trail blazer, she is not afraid to have the uncomfortable but very necessary conversations that concern the LGBT community as a whole. She is the first LGBT training coordinator certified through MCOLES (Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards) to train not only the sworn and non-sworn members of the department but also federal and local agencies who often seek guidance and expertise. Corporal Woods is a force to be reckoned with. Her vigor for confronting the issues head on have earned her television coverage on Fox 2 ‘Let it Rip’ where she spoke passionately about the violence that occurs in the LGBT and Transgender Community. Since her tenure she and through her many community partnerships. Detroit has been distinguished as one of three Michigan cities to score perfectly on the Municipal Equality Index of the Human Rights Campaign- LGBT Inclusion Report. This was not a miniscule task. It takes someone of Corporal Woods’s tenacity, professionalism and dedication to service to achieve. Corporal Woods was nominated in 2016 for Women in Blue, since that time she has been recognized BLAC Magazine/Calendar “Detroit Ones to Watch.” She has also appeared in HOUR magazine in a feature titled “Best of Detroit”, has been a recipient of the Detroit City Council “Spirit of Detroit” award and recently recognized by Fair Michigan Project with the prestige designation as a “Champion of Justice.” It is because of her passion and dedication in making this world better for all, that Corporal Danielle Woods is deserving of the honor to not only be recognized but the recipient of the “Michigan Hero Award”.