Shout out to all of the grass roots boots on the ground activist groups doing good work in the D, like New Era Detroit, Detroit Street Watchers, and CeoMick Robinson.
Detroit — As 2017 draws to a close, the city is on pace to record sharp decreases in most violent and nonviolent crime categories, including the fewest criminal homicides since 1966, Detroit police officials say.
As of Thursday, there were 267 criminal homicides in Detroit this year. That’s the fewest since 1966, when there were 214 homicides. It’s also down from 300 during the same period in 2016, when the city recorded 305 for the entire year, according to police statistics.
The number of people killed in Detroit per capita also dropped in 2017, with the homicide rate of 39.5 homicides per 100,000 residents down from 44.8 last year. It’s the lowest per capita homicide rate since 2008, when it was 37.4.
The statistics show Detroit joining other big U.S. cities, such as New York and Chicago, with falling murder rates.
Police said other violent crimes fell in Detroit in 2017, including nonfatal shootings from 948 to 831; aggravated assaults from 8,844 to 8,498; robberies from 3,035 to 2,582; and carjackings from 374 to 302. Arsons dropped from 934 to 897.
There have been 11,920 violent crimes reported in Detroit so far this year, down from 13,705 reported in September in the FBI’s 2016 Uniform Crime Report.
That FBI data for 2016 ranked Detroit as the nation’s most violent big city — a distinction that city police officials disputed because they say the crimes were tallied by an outdated computer system.
Regardless, some Detroit residents say they feel safer than in years past.
“This neighborhood is holding its own,” said George Kaleniecki, who lives in the Warrendale district. “You’ll hear occasional gunfire, but things have definitely gotten better than they used to be. There’s no question about it.”
Others lament their communities are still too dangerous.
“Sometimes, it seems like things are better, and sometimes, it doesn’t,” west-side resident Karen Campbell said. “I can only go by my neighborhood, and there were a lot of bad things this year. A couple people got murdered on the playground near my house.”
Detroit Police Chief James Craig said he understands why some residents feel there’s been no change.
“People see what immediately affects them, or they react to horrific incidents that get a lot of media attention,” he said. “For instance, when the Vietnam vet was killed at the O’Reilly (auto parts store), that creates the perception that nobody is safe. Or if someone hears shots fired outside their house, of course, they’re going to say they don’t feel safe.
“But if you look at the overall picture, things are getting better. I’m excited we’re moving in the right direction, but I want fewer crimes, and if we keep doing what we did this year, I’m thinking we’ll have fewer next year.
Craig added that despite what his critics say, there is a plan to deal with crime, citing weekly CompStat meetings where command staff discuss crime trends and how to address them.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...2/28/detroit-violent-crime-numbers/108987616/
Detroit — As 2017 draws to a close, the city is on pace to record sharp decreases in most violent and nonviolent crime categories, including the fewest criminal homicides since 1966, Detroit police officials say.
As of Thursday, there were 267 criminal homicides in Detroit this year. That’s the fewest since 1966, when there were 214 homicides. It’s also down from 300 during the same period in 2016, when the city recorded 305 for the entire year, according to police statistics.
The number of people killed in Detroit per capita also dropped in 2017, with the homicide rate of 39.5 homicides per 100,000 residents down from 44.8 last year. It’s the lowest per capita homicide rate since 2008, when it was 37.4.
The statistics show Detroit joining other big U.S. cities, such as New York and Chicago, with falling murder rates.
Police said other violent crimes fell in Detroit in 2017, including nonfatal shootings from 948 to 831; aggravated assaults from 8,844 to 8,498; robberies from 3,035 to 2,582; and carjackings from 374 to 302. Arsons dropped from 934 to 897.
There have been 11,920 violent crimes reported in Detroit so far this year, down from 13,705 reported in September in the FBI’s 2016 Uniform Crime Report.
That FBI data for 2016 ranked Detroit as the nation’s most violent big city — a distinction that city police officials disputed because they say the crimes were tallied by an outdated computer system.
Regardless, some Detroit residents say they feel safer than in years past.
“This neighborhood is holding its own,” said George Kaleniecki, who lives in the Warrendale district. “You’ll hear occasional gunfire, but things have definitely gotten better than they used to be. There’s no question about it.”
Others lament their communities are still too dangerous.
“Sometimes, it seems like things are better, and sometimes, it doesn’t,” west-side resident Karen Campbell said. “I can only go by my neighborhood, and there were a lot of bad things this year. A couple people got murdered on the playground near my house.”
Detroit Police Chief James Craig said he understands why some residents feel there’s been no change.
“People see what immediately affects them, or they react to horrific incidents that get a lot of media attention,” he said. “For instance, when the Vietnam vet was killed at the O’Reilly (auto parts store), that creates the perception that nobody is safe. Or if someone hears shots fired outside their house, of course, they’re going to say they don’t feel safe.
“But if you look at the overall picture, things are getting better. I’m excited we’re moving in the right direction, but I want fewer crimes, and if we keep doing what we did this year, I’m thinking we’ll have fewer next year.
Craig added that despite what his critics say, there is a plan to deal with crime, citing weekly CompStat meetings where command staff discuss crime trends and how to address them.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...2/28/detroit-violent-crime-numbers/108987616/
good to know
