Homicides, nonfatal shootings in Detroit jump as other crimes fall

BY GINA DAMRON

DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER


The number of homicides and nonfatal shootings in Detroit were up during the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2010, while several other crimes saw declines, according to preliminary statistics police released Tuesday.

During a report to the community at Charity Lutheran Church on Kelly Road, Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. said he wants to be open about the city's crime statistics and that the event Tuesday was the first in a series of quarterly reports he plans to give to the community.

"We have to get well beyond egos and how things look," Godbee said.


Continued at: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...=2011104270448

F**k it.

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BrushStart, please don't get discouraged. The economy is still in the toilet for those who are undereducated and/or unskilled. That exacerbates all the factors for crime. I'm not sure that the spike in gas prices is helping, either.

Keep your head up -- remember, "we hope for better things."

I guess you just have to try to look for the bright spots:

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According to the department, comparing through April 17, there were 306 fewer robberies, 874 fewer burglaries, 1,147 fewer assaults and 32 fewer rapes than in the same period last year.

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vs.

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The department reported 91 homicides through April 17 of this year.

By April 17, 2010, there had been 79 homicides, according to the department.

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and

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Nonfatal shootings also saw a jump to 232 during the first quarter of this year, compared with 200 by the same time last year.

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Originally Posted by English

BrushStart, please don't get discouraged. The economy is still in the toilet for those who are undereducated and/or unskilled. That exacerbates all the factors for crime. I'm not sure that the spike in gas prices is helping, either.

Keep your head up -- remember, "we hope for better things."

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I know. I'm actually cautiously optimistic. The homicide rate has been coming down year after year for a while now. The fact that Godbee was so candid about it says a lot. Just seems like an endless battle against senseless violence. Can't stop believing. The night is always darkest before the dawn, or so I hear...

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Originally Posted by begingri

I guess you just have to try to look for the bright spots:

vs.
and

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It is good news in a sense. They estimate that 70% of the murders and shootings in the city are drug related. I think the number is higher. As long as you dont sell dope or hang out with those who do. So long as you dont try to live that kind of lifestyle you are at least sort of insulated. The good news part is things have gotten a little better in terms of crimes against non criminals.

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Originally Posted by drippyhollows

It is good news in a sense. They estimate that 70% of the murders and shootings in the city are drug related. I think the number is higher. As long as you dont sell dope or hang out with those who do. So long as you dont try to live that kind of lifestyle you are at least sort of insulated. The good news part is things have gotten a little better in terms of crimes against non criminals.

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If you live near them you might be able to insulate yourself from being shot, but you're not insulated from your neighborhood going to hell.

How long before the woman talking about the delayed police response decides to get out of Dodge? Any city will be in trouble if the citizens can't count on reliable police response.

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Originally Posted by begingri

I guess you just have to try to look for the bright spots:

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The question of the day, though, is: Are these really bright spots?

In the case of a homicide or non-fatal shooting, the victim is either in a hospital or morgue. With either option, there is a mandatory reporting of the crime to the police and it shows up in our crime statistics.

In the case of other part 1 crimes, a victim very well may call 9-1-1 but if/when the police don't show up in response to said call, the victim then has to go to their local police precinct and wait for 30 mins. or more to file a police report before it would show up in our crime statistics. Since many Detroiters feel that it's unlikely the police will do anything about the matter, they might not take an hour or so out of their day to file the report.

Is crime really dropping? Or have people just given up on filing a police report?

Since the only crime categories that have mandatory reporting attached to them are up, I am skeptical that crime really is down. It seems much more likely that we're simply seeing a growth in underreporting.

Will it make anyone feel safer if a cop moves back into Detroit and lives in your neighborhood?

I don't think so. The officer who is taking Mayor Bing up on the offer to buy a renovated home in Detroit will move up in the ranks very fast...faster than his counterparts. He will be on Bings and Godbee's radar from now on and will more than likely receive some special favors because of the publicity this has generated.

The cop stated yesterday that he will look up people's driveways, come home in different ways each night to protect the neighborhood. Is he going to bring home a police cruiser? Is he going to wear his uniform outside on his off days for everyone to see that he's a cop? Is he going to run to his neighbor's home if there is a domestic dispute, a robbery, a shooting? Will he want his neighbors coming over to his house at any hour of the day or night to report crime? If he has a family and cares about their safety, he will remain very low key and not get involved, that's what most cops who live in the City do right now.

Godbee needs to get the recruits that are waiting to be hired and start another class and get more police on the streets. There are at least 50 of them, rushed through the hiring process, required to take one test after another [[and at their own expense I might add), many times because the tests are only good for so many months. Now, they are left hanging, not knowing if they are going to be hired or not. The DPD needs to get off their a$$ and get some people on the streets, that's what Detroit needs.

Exercise your rights. Learn how to use a handgun for self defense, take the class, and get your CPL. Defend yourselves. As criminals start getting shot back at more and more, they WILL start thinking twice before they act.

So, I'm confused. Killings are up, other crimes are down. Does this mean that we're killing the right people?

It's just the basics BROTHERS KILLING BROTHERS in the ghettohoods of Detroit.They would be the last to fall like stars before the state takeover.

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Originally Posted by guito13

Exercise your rights. Learn how to use a handgun for self defense, take the class, and get your CPL. Defend yourselves. As criminals start getting shot back at more and more, they WILL start thinking twice before they act.

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No, they really won't. It will likely just make them more likely to shoot sooner. They could not care less about consequences that may get in the way of their next fix.

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Originally Posted by BrushStart

I know. I'm actually cautiously optimistic. The homicide rate has been coming down year after year for a while now. The fact that Godbee was so candid about it says a lot. Just seems like an endless battle against senseless violence. Can't stop believing. The night is always darkest before the dawn, or so I hear...

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Candid isn't the word that I would use. The press release on this simply proclaimed "Crime rate down" and buried the news about an increase in murders and non-fatal shootings.

In my opinion, this seems less like being candid and more like trying to put a spin on it.

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Originally Posted by drjeff

No, they really won't. It will likely just make them more likely to shoot sooner. They could not care less about consequences that may get in the way of their next fix.

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If you are trained properly, you will be the first to shoot [[usually). I would always like to be at least as prepared as my attacker no matter what!

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Exercise your rights. Learn how to use a handgun for self defense, take the class, and get your CPL. Defend yourselves. As criminals start getting shot back at more and more, they WILL start thinking twice before they act.

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No, they really won't. It will likely just make them more likely to shoot sooner. They could not care less about consequences that may get in the way of their next fix.

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Actually, some of each. Some criminals will be deterred. Some will be shot. Some will escalate. However prepared you may be, the attacker has the initiative and gets to decide his first move, and I expect if the odds of having to deal with an armed response change, smart criminals [[at least) will change their tactics. Of course it is an open question how many smart criminals there are.

I love my city but have to agree - reporting is probably down, although this is just based on conversations with my neighbors and co-workers that feel reporting is worse than pointless. If you try to report less than a homicide or near-fatal assault, you are often made to feel you are wasting an officer's time - even if you go to them to file the report.

Excerpt from a weekly newsletter published by a local CPL instructor:

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Personal Protection Tips From the Detroit
Police Department

This past Tuesday evening, I attended the Detroit Police
Department's [[DPD) "First Quarter Report on Crime" at Charity
Lutheran Church on the east-side of town. One of the presenters,
DPD Lt. Dwayne Blackmon, gave a presentation on personal
protection.

In my professional opinion as a Personal Protection Instructor,
it was a decent speech when you consider the amount of
information he crammed into it within the short amount of
time he was allowed to teach.

I took notes and present the following to you as personal
protection tips from the Detroit Police Department:

- Be wary of folks erratically riding by on a bicycle. It
may be a tip-off that he is holding a handgun.

- Avoid Coney Island Restaurants at 2:00am on the weekend.

- Don't go to "after-hours" bars and clubs.

- If you use a carwash at night, you'll probably be robbed.

- Gas stations and parking lots are dangerous places.

- Avoid going to the gas station every day. Fill up your tank.

- Carjackers can be children appearing to be just loitering
nearby.

- Avoid patronizing establishments with folks "hanging out"
in close proximity. Find another place to shop.

- Be aware and speak to people near you. It may discourage
an attack.

- Don't leave valuables in plain sight in your vehicle.

- Crime can happen as often during the day as often as it
does at night.

- Alcohol is a major cause of domestic violence.

- If a family member leaves and threatens to come back to
harm someone, remove that person from the area.

- If you are thrown into a trunk, you can draw attention to
the situation by either opening the trunk via the latch in
newer cars or kicking out the brake lights with your feet
in older cars and sticking your hands in the newly created
hole.

- Three times of the year when crime spikes:

1. The Christmas shopping season
2. The first warm weekend [[85 degrees F)
3. The day time "falls back."

Obviously, there is a lot more that can be taught on the
subject of personal protection than what was presented.
Interested persons who desire the Detroit Police Department
to give their group, church, or organization a more thorough
and longer presentation are invited to contact their local
DPD District.

Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit
http://www.detroitccw.com

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Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit wants to stay in business. Fear makes a great business ad when dealing with CCW training.

Sure it does. Is Lt. Blackmon an owner/partner in the academy?

These were the instructor's notes, doesn't say they were the Lt.'s words. Much of it is common sense, some of it is just silly...it is sort of like quoting the ad.

Whatever side of the gun debate one may stand, IMO Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit, wants his business to thrive in the city as other business do. There is a market and many of the safety points are are valid and helpful.

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Originally Posted by bartock

Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit wants to stay in business. Fear makes a great business ad when dealing with CCW training.

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Indeed the results will be mixed -- so it cannot be said that there will be a singular outcome to fit and 'benifit' a particular politic. But the criminally minded often are poised at an advantage of first strike.

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Originally Posted by mwilbert

Actually, some of each. Some criminals will be deterred. Some will be shot. Some will escalate. However prepared you may be, the attacker has the initiative and gets to decide his first move, and I expect if the odds of having to deal with an armed response change, smart criminals [[at least) will change their tactics. Of course it is an open question how many smart criminals there are.

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