Just curious how many people would move to Midtown if the Wayne State University Police Department didn't patrol the area?
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Just curious how many people would move to Midtown if the Wayne State University Police Department didn't patrol the area?
Why do you ask? Do you think they're too aggressive or don't have enough authority?
Personally, I've liked that WSU police patrols the area. It makes it more safe withstanding reported problems with specific officers over the years.
For example WSU police now patrol the CCS John R and Kirby Campus and that has made that campus safer. Residents in the area benefit too. WSU police provide crime stats and bulletins for WSU and CCS now via email so students can make safer choices around campus and be on the look out for specific suspects who troll around.
I've see WSU police as far over as 12th street West Grand Blvd. The whole area benefits having more police presence. Henry Ford Hospital has a patrol unit as well and neighbors living nearby benefit from that presence as well.
I think that the Wayne State Police Dept is dong a good job in keeping the area safe. I wish that downtown had it's own private police force that patrol the area to make it safe for downtown. The police presence is downtown but criminals are not intimidated by them. A criminal would not had felt comfortable in downtown Detroit 40 years ago or so. The police would had made sure that any potential wrongdoer would think twice before doing anything. A private police force funded by the business community downtown would be more agressive. Chief Goodbee had retied the hands of the police so that they can't be a little agressive in profiling potential trouble makers.
WSU Police force is doing "Operation Sweep and Clean", sweep the preps and clean their mess from their streets. The project works violent crime is down and no homicides in that area in past years.
In the meantime University of Michigan's violent crime rate is 10 time more worse than any other campus in State of Michigan. It's been reported more on local news stations. This comes the time which is safer? Going along in UofM or WSU.
Wayne State Police are awesome!
I lived in what's now called Midtown several years ago [[when it was still the Corridor), before the Wayne police department was increased in size and patrolled south of campus. The area was much more populous then, but also not as safe. Still, it was a fun and fascinating place to live, a pretty good time in my life after all was said and done, and I'm very glad I did it. I left for grad school, not because of the area.
But from all I know of the area today, including my frequent travels through there and friends and relatives who live over there, the area is much better off for having the WSU police patrolling there these days.
I liked em when I lived there. Technically they're a branch of the state, so their training is much more current than DPD. And since many of them are from the area, their demeanor seems more professional and friendly, IMO.
Sometimes they'd come over to hang out on my neighbor and I's back porch to shoot the breeze, and ask questions about the neighborhood. They didn't seem to care about going after dumb stuff, just enforce the things that put people in harm's way or halt behavior that was legitimately bothersome to a neighbor. They certainly didn't care about the wafting green smell rolling by as we sat there;)
WSU Public Safety Officers go through the DPD Academy.
The guys I knew were troopers stationed in other places in MI before coming to WSU, and they made it pretty clear to me that they were happy about this. And they also said they helped train other WSU officers. Maybe the majority are now out of DPD, it's been some years since I lived over there. Hope these DPD guys are working out. They sure aren't in other places in this city.
I think that having WSU cops are a selling point for parents who are considering sending their kids to school down here. Otherwise, there'd probably be less students on our campus.
They are not DPD, they are trained at the DPD Academy. Big difference. Back in my time, some were ex-DPD, in fact, some were ex-S.T.R.E.S.S.
Using alternate security forces to augment DPD is great. I would wager that a lot of the trouble they see and stop is actually outside their job description. The police of UofD, Marygrove and DPS for that matter should take the same larger view. Extra protection for anchors cant help but be a net positive for surrounding communities.
I'd like to see a Park Police [[for the major parks Palmer,Chandler,Rouge) that had the same surrounding community policy.
I never knew how practical they were but I still miss the mounted patrols that once patrolled the Cultural Center. I know a huge part of their job was just to be a presence and maybe just PR, but I wonder how effective they were when they were in service.
Thats what I meant, i heard ya.Quote:
Originally Posted by ct_alum
I'd say quite fascist. Many friends stop and frisked---no reason----good people.
Also stifle political speech. Very averse to activism and freedom of speech. Formed "free speech zone" for sutdents against tuition hikes. Arrested Occupy protesters speaking out against 1% under fall pretenses [[all charges dropped).
Real community policing is done by the community, not cops.
They have to have a Bachelor's Degree, and they'll show up within 90 seconds usually. If all of Detroit had that the city wouldn't be like this.
I've had to call police twice after living in Midtown and New Center for five years. Both calls were to WSU police. Both times they arrived in less than five minutes.
In fact, the last time I called, I reported an in-progress bicycle theft from my neighbors back yard, and they showed up *literally* in less than 45 seconds. Caught the dude, too.
WSU police never factored into my decision to move here, but I'm sure glad they they are around.
For those of you that live in the area, have their number handy: 313.577.2222
I agree. Though, to expand, if all of Detroit could "afford" that, the city wouldn't be like this. Let's face it, for all practical purposes, Most of Midtown and many downtown destinations essentially can afford their own private security.Quote:
Originally Posted by laphoque
That said, I love WSU's police force. And while I am very sensitive to the protection of civil rights, it's a far, far, far cry to call them fascists. If you want to see actual fascism, it might be time for a field trip to North Korea.