Ken Cockrel sworn in as Detroit mayor

DETROIT, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Interim Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel vowed to tackle basic issues like crime and trash collection after being sworn into office Friday.

Cockrel stepped into the mayor's office after the resignation of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and perjury charges Sept. 4, and told the crowd he would get the Motor City back on the road after the paralyzing political turmoil.

"This is our time to breathe life back into the city," he said in his 20-minute speech at Cobo Center.

Expansion of Cobo and developing green-energy jobs were among the issues Cockrel mentioned in his address. However, the Detroit Free Press said the loudest applause came when he talked tough on crime and promised to tackle uncollected junk piled up in neighborhoods.

The Detroit News said that not everyone in the crowd was on the Cockrel bandwagon. A small group of Kilpatrick appointees stood up and walked out as his speech began.