So what happens when DPD gets it done?

[lilpup]

They're digitally jumping up and down about the arrests made in recent homicides...the details are on their Facebook page,,,and there's not a peep about it here.

Y'all need to be a lot less hating on the good po-po.

[corktownyuppie]

Wow. 7 shootings, 7 warrants. Props to the Detroit's finest!

[innercitydoc]

http://www.freep.com/article/2011090...text|FRONTPAGE

[stinkytofu]

They do deserve much credit here. As much crap as they get, those guys have such tough jobs and it's great when they can solve a crime.

I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet Chief Godbee recently and speak to him for a few minutes - seems like a legitimately really good person.

[Meddle]

Screw Facebook.



But, wait, people are supposed to get accolades for doing what they're paid to do?

[stinkytofu]

Screw Facebook.



But, wait, people are supposed to get accolades for doing what they're paid to do?

Well, solving a murder in a city with huge violence issues and very limited resources is not exactly the same as a cashier ringing somebody up. Can we just give them credit for a second?

[Meddle]

And an arrest is not a conviction, nor does a conviction mean the person actually did the crime.

Are they actually solving the crimes, or are they just arresting people to clear the books? [[And don't say it doesn't happen. Prisons are full of the wrongly convicted.)

[stinkytofu]

And an arrest is not a conviction, nor does a conviction mean the person actually did the crime.

Are they actually solving the crimes, or are they just arresting people to clear the books? [[And don't say it doesn't happen. Prisons are full of the wrongly convicted.)

Obviously an arrest is not a conviction and I agree that innocent people are prosecuted. Nonetheless, should we never give the police any credit at all until a year+ past a crime when a person is [[hopefully) correctly convicted?

[Scottathew]

This is a GREAT start. Between hard police work and a community that's willing to break the code of silence we're getting scumbags off the street.

Imagine if this was a turning point and nearly every murder from here on out was pursued this aggressively and bad-boys were put behind bars?

It would be a turning point for the city.



And yes, folks should get accolades when they do a great job. I get them at work when I do a great job and so should the DPD.

Well done!

[detroitbob66]

I LOVE to see and hear that the Detroit Police are steady at it! Good job and keep up the fine work!

[Ravine]

An arrest is not a conviction, but the police are not tasked with securing convictions, and they're not in such a hurry to clear cases that they are willing to flagrantly risk wrongful-arrest lawsuits.
Count me on the side that says it's good to hear that some action is being taken and that potentially fruitful results may follow.

[English]

I do believe that Chief Godbee is working his you-know-what off. Everyone who lives in the city is battening down the hatches, though, for the coming assistance cuts. People I know are expecting sheer anarchy.

[coracle]

We have to believe the Police know what they are doing and have the perps so they should be congratulated for a job well done. The real concern is that no matter how many murderers they arrest and put in jail there seems to be a never ending supply of new ones to take their place. And so it goes on; the killing and maiming of innocent people. Capture and conviction is a win for law and order but what we desperately need is prevention.

[EL Jimbo]

An arrest is not a conviction, but the police are not tasked with securing convictions, and they're not in such a hurry to clear cases that they are willing to flagrantly risk wrongful-arrest lawsuits.
Count me on the side that says it's good to hear that some action is being taken and that potentially fruitful results may follow.

This. It doesn't take a law degree to realize that it isn't the police's job to get convictions [[hell, all you have to do is watch one episode of Law & Order to figure that one out). The police investigate the crime and make an arrest based on the evidence. It is up to the prosecutor to get the conviction. This Meddle person clearly just wants to bitch.

[HistoryNotHisStory]

Good job DPD. The overworked detective and officers doing a good job.

However, there is much too improve on.

During the Coleman young era, DPD was tops in the nation for solving crimes. We have gone from a great performance to a less than average performance. We should not accept mediocrity. An excellent case solving record should be the norm.

I refuse to accept an under-performing police force. Detroit had 1000 police officers sitting at a desk full time. In proper perspective, more than a third of our police force was doing clerical work in the most dangerous city in America. That is inexcusable.

The community is supposed to be happy that the 1000 desk cops are now doing 8 hours of patrol each week. The chief states that this will result in 50 more officers on patrol per shift. Simple math indicates that if they perform 32 hrs per week instead of 8, then the result will yield 200 more officers per shift.

Recently, the mayor and the chief has the audacity to request the feds for funding for more officers. Unbelievable.

The fault is not the officers, but the chief.

The chief is responsible for this. I will not let him off the hook until he stops making excuses and make the proper improvements. It’s not rocket science.

[corktownyuppie]

RECENTLY, THE MAYOR AND THE CHIEF HAS THE AUDACITY TO REQUEST THE FEDS FOR FUNDING FOR MORE OFFICERS. UNBELIEVABLE.

THE FAULT IS NOT THE OFFICERS, BUT THE CHIEF.

THE CHIEF IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. I WILL NOT LET HIM OFF THE HOOK UNTIL HE STOPS MAKING EXCUSES AND MAKE THE PROPER IMPROVEMENTS. ITS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.

I am ignorant to the constraints which factor in to this, so I'm looking to you [[or anyone else) to enlighten me.

Is it your position that when Coleman Young was in office, he had no more money available than our current Chief and yet found a way to put 1000 more officers out on the street?

[Islandman]

I do believe that Chief Godbee is working his you-know-what off. Everyone who lives in the city is battening down the hatches, though, for the coming assistance cuts. People I know are expecting sheer anarchy.

This. My mom works in social services; she's speaking of these cuts like it will be the end of days.

[Hamtragedy]

Hooray. 51% of all murders are solved now. I can sleep easier.

[HistoryNotHisStory]

I am ignorant to the constraints which factor in to this, so I'm looking to you [[or anyone else) to enlighten me.

Is it your position that when Coleman Young was in office, he had no more money available than our current Chief and yet found a way to put 1000 more officers out on the street?

The point is that the Cheif is not properly utilizing his resources.

The Chief had 1000 [[ 35%) of Detroit Polices officers performing desk-work. 1,000 officers not on patrol or on the streets in the Most Danger City in America.

Coleman did not tolerate this. He utilize resources better than that.


If you can justyify why 35% of the police officers should be doing clerical work in the Most Dangerous City in America, I will change my position.

[corktownyuppie]

The point is that the Cheif is not properly utilizing his resources.

The Chief had 1000 [[ 35%) of Detroit Polices officers performing desk-work. 1,000 officers not on patrol or on the streets in the Most Danger City in America.

Coleman did not tolerate this. He utilize resources better than that.


If you can justyify why 35% of the police officers should be doing clerical work in the Most Dangerous City in America, I will change my position.

Well, I wish all of our problems were that simple. On its face, what your saying makes sense, which is why I'm wondering what are the factors going on here.

I don't know why 35% of the police officers are doing clerical work. But let's say DPD has 10,000 cops. And to run the department, 1,500 of them need to be doing desk jobs. Great. You're at 15% Sounds reasonable.

But then budget cuts come, and we've got to cut 5,000 cops. And to run the department, you still need 1,500 desk workers. So now you're left with 5,000 cops and 1,500 desk workers. 30% Sure, you'd like to move those desk workers out into patrol cars, but you can't.

And I'm sure it's not 35% of our cops sitting behind a desk serving as receptionists. All those homicide detectives are out solving homicides, but they don't count as patrolers...and it's not like homicides go down when budgets go down.

Look, I'm as pissed as you are that there aren't enough cops on the street. To solve the problem we need to find a better way to use the resources we have. And we need to eliminate needless work. [[like responding to an alarm that's false 49 times out of 50). How do we do that? I just don't know. I truly don't understand all the factors at play. But I know it's not just as simple as saying, "Louie, quit answering the damn phones. Get your gun and start walking the beat."

In another one of your posts you mention that taxes are too high. I agree. Taxes are way too damned high. How is it possible? How do taxes go up and budgets go down? Well, I wish I could just say it's waste and corruption. It's not, although, God knows it's time to clean up City Hall.

There's a whole host of problems...

For 40 years we agreed to pay out pensions and health care to employees that are living far longer than we expected. To add insult to injury, more than half of them live outside the city limits, and many out of state. So none of that money is being reinvested in our economy.

Our structural costs [[like police, lighting, roads) are exactly the same. Are our snow plows doing less work than 30 years ago? No. Do we have the same number of street lights? Yes. But our population has left for cheaper land and lower taxes. This problem isn't unique to Detroit, though it's probably worse in Detroit than most places. It's happening in Ypsi, where thousands have fled for Ypsi Township in search wider land and lower taxes. The result? Ypsi [[city) now has half the population, but the same number of costs.

Not enough police? Check.
Taxes too high? Check.
Services too low? Check.

This isn't the fault of any one mayor, though some have certainly made it worse than others. It's the fault of a business model that was based on assumptions that didn't come true. And now we're paying the price.

So, yeah, I want more cops on the street. I just don't think it's as simple as saying, "That chief is an idiot. He should just put more cops on the street."

[SWMAP]

I understand that many of the desk jobs are filled on a rotating temporary basis by officers that have been injured in the lie of duty - ranging from dislocated shoulders awaiting surgury to torn tendons from a chase - many short-term injuries that would keep a cop from patrol but not long-term enough for a disability leave. Those cops often fill those "desk jobs. " Other postions have been bargained for - also often filled byy someone who cannot or should not be on the street due to being older or maybe a heart condition. So they clerk and fill out paper work in the precinct to finish out their careers. i don't begrudge that.

However, i would like to know how many women officers have the cushy jobs inside? It seems disproportionate. I think they like the money that comes from a DPD job, but don't like the danger. So they find a way to work inside. I also wonder how they do that.

[HistoryNotHisStory]

I don't know why 35% of the police officers are doing clerical work. But let's say DPD has 10,000 cops. And to run the department, 1,500 of them need to be doing desk jobs. Great. You're at 15% Sounds reasonable.

But then budget cuts come, and we've got to cut 5,000 cops. And to run the department, you still need 1,500 desk workers. So now you're left with 5,000 cops and 1,500 desk workers. 30% Sure, you'd like to move those desk workers out into patrol cars, but you can't.

......

So, yeah, I want more cops on the street. I just don't think it's as simple as saying, "That chief is an idiot. He should just put more cops on the street."

I refuse to allow excuses to be given for mis-allocation of resources. What is lacking is creativity and problem-solving.

And Yes, most answers to the problems are that simple.

A Modern police force does not require desk officers. Computers are very cheap. I went to a seminar by Panasonic more than 5 years ago in which they displayed their capability to have police officers file reports in their squad car. Their desk is their squad car, smart phone, and/or computer. It increases response time and put the officers where they belong: in the streets.

Technology has eliminated the way is performed and has greatly reduced the operating expenses for many companies and municipalities.


This can be initiated by the DPD for a cost of approximately of 4 million dollars over a 4-year period. [[3,000 computer for $1,000 each and $ 1 million dollars in programming).

By implementing this technology and putting all officers out in the field, DPD can even save more money by down-sizing it force.

With respect to your other comments, City of Detroit should sell, privatize, contract, or eliminate all together all services except Fire and Police. I strongly advocate the elimination of some Department and Agencies altogether.

All problems have solutions. It just take knowledge, wisdom, and the manhood to implement it.

[corktownyuppie]

Technology has eliminated the way is performed and has greatly reduced the operating expenses for many companies and municipalities.

This can be initiated by the DPD for a cost of approximately of 4 million dollars over a 4-year period. [[3,000 computer for $1,000 each and $ 1 million dollars in programming).

Now I'm interested. As I said. I don't know how the money works in running a police department. I'm all for re-structuring and using efficiency gains to improve operational results. This is an argument I could buy into.

I just needed to see the numbers first

[Meddle]

This. It doesn't take a law degree to realize that it isn't the police's job to get convictions [[hell, all you have to do is watch one episode of Law & Order to figure that one out). The police investigate the crime and make an arrest based on the evidence. It is up to the prosecutor to get the conviction.

Incorrect. It's the PD's job to do the interviews, gather evidence, build the case to the point where the prosecutor will even bother to take it to court. Many of them won't take anything other than a rock solid case. They have to be sure they'll get a conviction based on the work of the PD, so, yeah, it's up to the PD to get enough to ensure a conviction.


L&O is a TV show, and not a very factual one at that -- bordering more on an afternoon soap opera . The First 48 will give you a better example of the work involved.

[sturge]

Fitch is on the case!