DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit police are investigating what happened to the personal information of a number of children that played for the Warriors. The team is one of 20 nonprofit football organizations that operates under the Detroit Police Athletic League.
Four coaches that were with the Warriors have also been suspended.
The investigation began after Fannie Hamilton told 7 Action News that vital documents, including the birth certificates and social security cards of two of her sons, a grandson and a nephew, have still not been returned by coaches for last year's season with the Warriors.
The president of the Warriors called Hamilton Wednesday to find out why her sons had not returned this season.
Hamilton said she told him it was because they had not returned $150 for her grandson's flag football team that never got off the ground. She added that they had not returned the vital documents for each child.
"We never got them back," Hamilton said.
David Greenwood, director of Athletics for Detroit PAL, told 7 Action News that they have asked Detroit police to investigate and moved to suspend the coaches that were with the Warriors but have moved to another team this season.
Greenwood said he's talked to the president of the Warriors who acknowledged that a book of birth certificates is missing. And the president denies ever taking social security cards.
Greenwood said the teams should not be collecting anyone's social security cards or numbers.
"We do not take social security numbers. We have no reason to collect the social security number from any parent or any child," said Greenwood. "So, if there's an organization out there that collects that information, it's unbeknownst to PAL and it should not be done."
Greenwood said only birth certificates are needed to verify a child's age. He said original birth certificates should be returned to parents and coaches should only be retaining copies.
