YOBS robbed 4 times since opening 2 months ago.. told to call WSUPD for help.

[DetroitPlanner]

Probably with their own security such as Dan Gilber is doing in the downtown area. I had always felt that if police was walking the beat or riding it on bicycles Borders would not had to close it's Woodward entrance.

Mute point. Borders was in decline when it opened the store. Surprisingly, they kept the store opened through several rounds of store closings meaning that the store was functioning well despite it being part of a very disfunctional company. I'd rather have a successful store with one entrance than a closed one with two entrances. I am sure that if the only entrance to the store was from woodward, they would not have the issues that they had by having to watch 2 entrances. Most of thier regular customers would most likely work in the building so they left that entrance open.

[Wesley Mouch]

One can criticize DPD without disrespecting the officers. DPD has serious problems. They're not money related. And it's not officers. Money and officers are crucial but not sufficient for competence.

[Honky Tonk]

Mute point. Borders was in decline when it opened the store.

Sorry, but it's not a "mute point", it is precisely the point. The door was not closed because "the store was in decline", the door was closed to secure the area better because of crime. Show me a retail business anywhere that wants to limit customer access to it's merchandise.

[SWMAP]

You mean "moot" not "mute."Borders did not know it was going to go bankrupt when it closed Woodward St. It was not an effort to save the chain money by only having to watch one entrance. The closure of the store to the street was not something that a retail establishment on a main drag would do as a first step to stave off bankruptcy. It was for preservation of on-site assets from the same people that caused Hudson's new owners to shut down in 1982.
I recall years ago that people on this board were concerned that a new athletic shoe store on Wooward was "disrespectful" of shoppers when the owners pretty much had security tail shoppers when they came in.
But I think they may have made that choice after more than a few negative experiences on Wooward.

[Zacha341]

I don't support being unduly harangued as a shopper, but what's a merchant to do... [[Borders or whomever) disregard their 'lying' eyes? Stand by and 'watch' the five-finger discount out of politeness?

Borders closed the door to minimize the theft... that's an obvious one for me. Theft inconveniences us all, eventually. Directly or indirectly.

Many merchants outside of the downtown, deep-in-the-hood, have dispensed with all the niceties LONG AGO: If you present with a bag you are asked to have it held for you while you shop, expensive items are sensor tagged and or held behind glass unless you purchase them. Stores that may have originally had a back traffic door have closed them opting for a single [[more observable) entrance/ exit.

Some stores and businesses are no longer direct-walk in, you're buzzed-in once they take a look at you to see if you look like a mugger?! CVS sensors tags certain items on their shelves like Tide detergent, ground coffee, etc. More sensors at exit doors, with guards, often armed. This is the daily life outside of Downtown as I've observed out and about shopping in Detroit 'thick', not just downtown.

Colleges bookstore and pretty vigilant too - suburban and urban - requiring students place all backpacks, bags in lockers or shelves while shopping. That's a direct message of theft deterrence.

[downtownguy]

Phone stores in Detroit do not allow you to touch their actual phones or equipment only the plastic 'dummy' units. You touch only after you buy per what I observed just visiting a few of them.

Not true in my recent experience of buying a phone.

[Zacha341]

I was thinking about few specific stores that have bullet proof glass and the dummy cameras on teethers. They are not having you touch much of anything. When I was with Verizon I used the store in Highland Park but they allowed you to fully examine a working phone, but they had good security to prevent a grab-and-dash!

Not true in my recent experience of buying a phone.

[DetroitPlanner]

Mute point. Borders was in decline when it opened the store.

Sorry, but it's not a "mute point", it is precisely the point. The door was not closed because "the store was in decline", the door was closed to secure the area better because of crime. Show me a retail business anywhere that wants to limit customer access to it's merchandise.

The majority of chain stores have only one entrance. Two entrances increase the likely hood of theft as employees can only 'guard' one entrance at a time. It was either close an entrance or hire more employees which would have hurt Border's bottom line.

SWMAP, yes moot. Sorry don't use the word much. Border was in trouble long before they opened the Compuware store. It was in trouble when Kmart set it free. http://www.theoaklandpress.com/artic...b508784811.txt

They could not compete with either Barnes and Noble or Amazon as they refused to embrace change.

[stasu1213]

Borders could had been guarded by employess protecting the Woodward entrance and Compuware security protecting the Compuware entrance. Does the boutiques, bookstores, and retail stores in the suburbs have a high theft rate? There storefronts faces busy avenues. They have police, plains clothespersons, and the communities who help keep down crime. This so called mayor and council don't put those elements in the retail district downtown.

[Shollin]

Borders could had been guarded by employess protecting the Woodward entrance and Compuware security protecting the Compuware entrance. Does the boutiques, bookstores, and retail stores in the suburbs have a high theft rate? There storefronts faces busy avenues. They have police, plains clothespersons, and the communities who help keep down crime. This so called mayor and council don't put those elements in the retail district downtown.

In a city that has one of the highest murder rates in the world among developed nations, and one of the highest violent crime rates in the country, the city and council should 've made sure they focused more on protecting a book store in one of the city's safest neighborhoods.

[marshamusic]

.........Lafayette Foods haven't had any reported bad luck such as YOBS had been experiencing. I am beginning to wonder if these robberies are being helped by someone on the inside.........

Unfortunately, this is incorrect. I've heard that Lafayette Foods was victim of an armed robbery last week - and this was not the first incident.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

What I find most disheartening about Detroit's constant robbery/theft issues [[not just store robberies) is the deliberate acceptance of crime & ill-gotten goods by the community.
When someone you know comes home and they have money and/or belongings that clearly weren't earned, bought & paid for, I would hope that someone would confront them/ ostracize them/ call the police, etc. But I can't recall the last time I heard a report of a Mom calling the police and saying, "Hey, my unemployed kid always has tons of cash. You might wanna check into that." I know my Mom would, after she beat the crap out of me with her Louisville slugger, which she does keep next to her bed. Basic morality has been driven out of some neighborhoods; that can't really be fixed by external pressure, unfortunately. People with disregard for other people's work and property are the least employable people, perpetuating the downward spiral in those neighborhoods.

[KJ5]

What I find most disheartening about Detroit's constant robbery/theft issues [[not just store robberies) is the deliberate acceptance of crime & ill-gotten goods by the community.
When someone you know comes home and they have money and/or belongings that clearly weren't earned, bought & paid for, I would hope that someone would confront them/ ostracize them/ call the police, etc. But I can't recall the last time I heard a report of a Mom calling the police and saying, "Hey, my unemployed kid always has tons of cash. You might wanna check into that." I know my Mom would, after she beat the crap out of me with her Louisville slugger, which she does keep next to her bed. Basic morality has been driven out of some neighborhoods; that can't really be fixed by external pressure, unfortunately. People with disregard for other people's work and property are the least employable people, perpetuating the downward spiral in those neighborhoods.

I've known Brad Hales of People's Records to refuse to buy merchandise that was clearly stolen from the little flea market that used to be on Hancock. He'd tell the perpetrators to try selling them at said flea market and they'd walk out with their tails between their legs.
As for YOBS, it might be time to invest in some metal roll-down doors or iron bars for those big, inviting panes of glass at nighttime. Not cheap, but it beats smash-and-grab.

[Dexlin]

What's the square mileage of the area WSU police patrols? What, about two or three square miles, tops, or Detroit's nearly 139 square miles? They sure as hell better be quick to anything that happens in Greater Midtown.

In a city dealing with nearly a murder a night, most years, and various other violent crimes spead out over 139 square miles with a police force that shrank even faster than the city did over the last decade [[down 33% vs. the city's 25% population loss), if anyone thinks DPD's going to be rushing out to property crimes - as if they even could if they wanted to - is crazy. Sad, but it's the reality

[detroitbob]

Lets clarify if YOBS was robbed 4 times OR a victim of B&E 4 times...there is a perceived difference between the two types of activity. And I agree that the WSU police have a great response time.

It also is true that the Border's Wodward entrance was closed after grab and runs [[shoplifting) although I do believe there was one robbery of the cash register by somone who indicated hey had a weapon but did not brandish it about. In addition it was determined that the security guard was blind eyed to some of the shoplifting, perhaps some friends were clued in. At that point the Woodward doors were closed and the shrink dropped. The store actually made its numbers and would have extetded the lease had the management company agreed to extending the terms without a significant rent increase.Of course the demise of the comoany was long predicted but again, the store made its numbers and closed with dignity...an orderly sale and no jobbed in junk.

[Zacha341]

Per the WSU South End News Article it's break-ins so far:

http://thesouthend.wayne.edu/article...nce-in-midtown

"According to Lt. Dave Scott, a Wayne State police officer for 35 years, they began experiencing a series of nighttime burglaries soon after opening their doors."

"and instruct them to list WSUPD as first contact in circumstances where the intrusion alarm was activated."

"the alarm company called WSUPD instead of 911, and they responded to the call and arrived within 20 seconds. The offender didn’t even have enough time to enter the building before WSU police arrived — officers caught him pulling broken glass out of the window frame in an attempt to get in, and arrested him."

Lets clarify if YOBS was robbed 4 times OR a victim of B&E 4 times...there is a perceived difference between the two types of activity. And I agree that the WSU police have a great response time.

[Hermod]

Campus police? When I went to college, campus security consisted of a night watchman with a clock on a shoulder strap. He went from station to station in the various buildings and at each station, took out a key on a chain and inserted it in his clock. It then recorded, mechanically, the time he had visited that station. The academic buildings were all unlocked and you could use any vacant classroom to get outside the dorm and study in peace until two in the morning if you so desired. I think the security guy locked up the classroom buildings from 2am to 6am.

[Zacha341]

^^^ WSU and Oakland Community College for example have police academies/ cadet educational programs expressed as their policing departments. So they are well beyond 'watch security' as the expression goes. They are armed and able to secure at a higher level and dovetail with the DPD. I went thru an orange light on Forest a few years ago [[stupid I know) and a WSU police officer pulled me over. They were ok about it and gave me a warning instead of a ticket thankfully.

[downtownguy]

I went thru an orange light on Forest a few years ago [[stupid I know) and a WSU police officer pulled me over. They were ok about it and gave me a warning instead of a ticket thankfully.

What's the ticket for going through an orange light?

[Zacha341]

Disobeying a red light - a ticket that carry points jacking up already high insurance even higher. There's REALLY no such thing as an orange light! LOL!

I apologized and explained to the officer that I was a bit distracted [[NO I don't text and drive) and that I had an excellent driving record and would be more careful in the future. The officer ran all of my paper work which was clean and gave me a warning.

[bailey]

I like how the OP makes it out that Detroit police are incompetent. Lets see WSU police the entire city under staffed and under funded and not just the small section in one of the better parts of the city and see how "competent" they are then.

The DPD IS incompetent if it can not respond to calls within a half an hour..or as is often reported...show up at all.

That doesn't mean the guy on the beat is a bad cop, but it clearly speaks to institutional failure on a large scale. Explain to me why it doesn't.

[ScienceFair]

Lets clarify if YOBS was robbed 4 times OR a victim of B&E 4 times...there is a perceived difference between the two types of activity. And I agree that the WSU police have a great response time.

As a neighbor of the store, I can clarify that it was the SAME GUY breaking in after hours all four times. It was some mental giant, stealing the cheapest cooking wine [[not the $50 wine, mind you) and some detergent.

Thanks to the WSU PD, they caught the guy and there have been no further incidents since then.

I'm thankful to have YOBS in my neighborhood and shop there almost daily. If you haven't been inside yet, be sure to stop in some time.

[Shollin]

The DPD IS incompetent if it can not respond to calls within a half an hour..or as is often reported...show up at all.

That doesn't mean the guy on the beat is a bad cop, but it clearly speaks to institutional failure on a large scale. Explain to me why it doesn't.

Detroit needs to prioritize. I'm sure if a murder was being committed the response time would be quicker. On a burglary where the suspect is gone, the city has better things to take care of. It's easy to be "competent" when you have a much smaller area to cover and a much safer area. I suggest turning Midtown over to WSU completely and let Detroit police focus on higher crime areas.

[bailey]

Detroit needs to prioritize. I'm sure if a murder was being committed the response time would be quicker. On a burglary where the suspect is gone, the city has better things to take care of. It's easy to be "competent" when you have a much smaller area to cover and a much safer area. I suggest turning Midtown over to WSU completely and let Detroit police focus on higher crime areas.

"better things to take care of.." is not a justification, it's an excuse.

[Shollin]

"better things to take care of.." is not a justification, it's an excuse.

When you're short staffed, you have to prioritize. You think this store is the only store being robbed in Detroit? The city deals with at least 1 murder a day and countless robberies and assaults. Yes there are more important things that need to be taken care of.