Detroit homicides for 2010 drop to 308 [[unofficial)

**Supersport** · January-03-11, 08:33 PM

In a press release today by the Detroit Police Department, homicides have dropped [[unofficially) to 308, down 15.4% from 2009. Non-Fatal shootings are also down to 1,170, a 10.5% drop from 2009.

Homicides Drop

NorthEndere · January-03-11, 08:38 PM

This makes the rate 33/100,000 if using the official population estimate for the city [[910,000), or 40/100,000 if you take SEMCOG's estimate [[772,000). This means that at the absolute worst, the rate is basically the same as it's been most of the latter half of the decade, and at best, it's the lowest rate since the late 60's [[and lowest raw count since the early-to-mid 60's).

Still ranks it in the top 5 for cities over 100,000, I think, but considerably below the rate of the revitalizaing and growing New Orleans.

**begingri** · January-04-11, 01:51 AM

Community input, smarter deployment get credit for drop

George Hunter / The Detroit News

Detroit— The number of homicides in the city fell by 15.4 percent in 2010, according to preliminary year-end statistics released Monday by Detroit Police, continuing a downward trend locally and nationwide.
The city reported 308 murders in 2010, down from the 364 reported in 2009. Nonfatal shootings dropped by 10.5 percent, to 1,170 last year from 1,307 in 2009.

Police Chief Ralph Godbee credited smarter deployment of officers and more community involvement, for the declines. Godbee also reintroduced Monday a daily police blotter that had been discontinued under former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

"Our strategic deployment efforts, based on daily crime trends and intelligence; working with the community and our law enforcement partners are contributing factors toward this reduction," Godbee said in a written statement.

Other large cities also reported a decline in homicides in 2010. Chicago recorded 435 last year, down from 460 in 2009. Cleveland reported 77 homicides in 2010, down from 122 in 2009.

Some cities, though, saw marked increases. In Boston, the number of killings rose to 72 in 2010, up 47 percent from 49 in 2009, while Milwaukee reported 94 slayings in 2010, up 31 percent from 72 in 2009.

Although comprehensive figures aren't available for all of 2010, during the year's first six months, New Orleans led the nation with 31.2 homicides per 100,000 residents, followed by St. Louis [[17.5); Baton Rouge [[16.6), La.; and Detroit [[16.1).

University of Detroit Mercy Law Professor Larry Dubin agreed with Godbee that Detroit's drop is likely due to deploying officers better, a strategy that was first employed by former Police Chief Warren Evans.

"The police have been more effective in utilizing their limited resources to cover the areas of the city that are the most susceptible to crime," Dubin said. The police departments in New York and Los Angeles also have used statistics to deploy officers to high-crime areas.

"With technology, police are able to better pinpoint the areas that need to be patrolled more frequently," Dubin said.

Continued at: http://www.detnews.com/article/20110104/METRO01/101040370/1409/Murders-fell-15--in-Detroit-last-year

**bahbay** · January-04-11, 02:16 AM

The fact that these figures can be cause for self-congratulation speaks volumes about the level to which Detroiters have been numbed. I think [[could be wrong by a bit) the US national average for homicide is around 6 per 100,000. So Detroit, with a population of 951,270, should have an annual rate of around 57. So, it appears that the rate for Detroit, at 308, is roughly 5 and a half TIMES [[!) the national average. The Scale in the subject line of this reply indicates that the US rate, while a small fraction of the Detroit rate, is somewhere around 3 times the rate of other 1st world countries. If that metric is considered, the Detroit rate is roughly 36 times higher.
Don't break an arm patting yourselves on the back.

**bahbay** · January-04-11, 02:30 AM

The fact that these figures can be cause for self-congratulation speaks volumes about the level to which Detroiters have been numbed. I think [[could be wrong by a bit) the US national average for homicide is around 6 per 100,000. So Detroit, with a population of 951,270, should have an annual rate of around 57. So, it appears that the rate for Detroit, at 308, is roughly 5 and a half TIMES [[!) the national average. The Scale in the subject line of this reply indicates that the US rate, while a small fraction of the Detroit rate, is somewhere around 3 times the rate of other 1st world countries. If that metric is considered, the Detroit rate is roughly 36 times higher.
Don't break an arm patting yourselves on the back.
I posted this on the "Murders Fell 15% Last Year" thread as well.
Good luck and best wishes

**Gistok** · January-04-11, 02:45 AM

You know you're preaching to the Choir....

**Al Publican** · January-04-11, 02:54 AM

Here in Charlotte, NC pop. 750K we experienced 59 homicides in 2010. I recall when I lived near the New Center in the early '70s when Detroit had, what, 700 plus homicides? I think that was an era when heroin was big with folks killing each other over drug money. Hayward Brown and his posse. What were the two other guys' names?

**Al Publican** · January-04-11, 02:56 AM

The cops like to take credit, just like the military rolls out stats. How can law enforcement stop two pissed off family members from killing each other or gangs from conspiring to make a hit?

**CLAUDE G** · January-04-11, 02:58 AM

If people are moving out of the city, they can't get killed in the city and counted towards the stastics anymore!

**Meddle** · January-04-11, 03:28 AM

What were the two other guys' names?

Mark Clyde Bethune and John Percy Boyd if I recall.

**iheartthed** · January-04-11, 08:22 AM

Originally Posted by bahbay

The fact that these figures can be cause for self-congratulation speaks volumes about the level to which Detroiters have been numbed. I think [[could be wrong by a bit) the US national average for homicide is around 6 per 100,000. So Detroit, with a population of 951,270, should have an annual rate of around 57. So, it appears that the rate for Detroit, at 308, is roughly 5 and a half TIMES [[!) the national average. The Scale in the subject line of this reply indicates that the US rate, while a small fraction of the Detroit rate, is somewhere around 3 times the rate of other 1st world countries. If that metric is considered, the Detroit rate is roughly 36 times higher.
Don't break an arm patting yourselves on the back.
I posted this on the "Murders Fell 15% Last Year" thread as well.
Good luck and best wishes

Somewhere in this jumble of words do you challenge Detroit's claim that the homicide count dropped? If not then what's the fucking point of your response?

DetroitDad · January-04-11, 09:49 AM

Not really relevant, since this figure does not reflect any similar year over year demographic shift.

Originally Posted by CLAUDE G

If people are moving out of the city, they can't get killed in the city and counted towards the stastics anymore!

**Johnlodge** · January-04-11, 09:51 AM

Wow, look at this graph! The murder rate went from all the way at the top to all the way at the bottom!

DetroitDad · January-04-11, 10:00 AM

Law enforcement can stop two pissed off family members from killing each other or gangs from conspiring to make a hit, by creating an atmosphere in the community that does not condone violence [[fostering belief that you will get caught if you commit this crime here) and gangs. New York seemed to pull this off quite well. The latter can be prevented by the previously stated solution, along with a goal to catch violent offenders on more petty offenses, assuming violent offenders tend to "work up" to violent behavior over time.

Originally Posted by Al Publican

The cops like to take credit, just like the military rolls out stats. How can law enforcement stop two pissed off family members from killing each other or gangs from conspiring to make a hit?

DetroitDad · January-04-11, 10:07 AM

This poster is suggesting that the graph is hiding the severity of the problem of violent crime in Detroit. I agree with the premise, but disagree with attention seeking sarcasm, as it hypocritically hides the severity of the issue, much like the graph in question.

Originally Posted by Johnlodge

Wow, look at this graph! The murder rate went from all the way at the top to all the way at the bottom!

**Johnlodge** · January-04-11, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitDad

This poster is suggesting that the graph is hiding the severity of the problem of violent crime in Detroit. I agree with the premise, but disagree with attention seeking sarcasm, as it hypocritically hides the severity of the issue, much like the graph in question.

This poster suggests the previous post uses unneeded sarcasm. While I can appreciate the suggestion, I full well know he needs to get over himself, and really made the response based on past experiences rather than the subject matter at hand.

**Detroitnerd** · January-04-11, 10:14 AM

Yeah, it's presented in the graph as a sharp decline, but we all know that it's a slight decline, and, given the shrinking population, perhaps not a decline at all in the murder rate.

**Lowell** · January-04-11, 10:22 AM

While still tragically high this is good news. Imagine the howling we would have on this board and elsewhere if the rate had increased.

The real statistic I want to hear about is how many of those is murders are solved and the murderers imprisoned. I forget the actual unsolved murder stats but they are very sorry. Swift, sure justice is the best path to taking the rate down to 50-100, in line with the national averages.

Nonetheless this direction is encouraging.

**GOAT** · January-04-11, 10:31 AM

Lowell,
Yes, headed in the right direction but not good enough.

I posted a few weeks a back that when these numbers came in it still wouldn't be enough and it isn't. I was chided for it because I I saw the negativity in the numbers and the numbers would "never be good enough". Well they are NEVER good enough until they are at zero [[an impossible number to hit). We should strive for that each and every year.

As for the graph...well, grpahs are made to make this either prettier than they are or worse than they are.

DetroitDad · January-04-11, 10:33 AM

The real news here is that the DPD is recognizing the media, and thus the public, as a necessary partner again. This was something that was absent during the Kilpatrick Administration.

**Danny** · January-04-11, 11:17 AM

Still some BROTHERS KILLING BROTHERS in the ghettoes of Detroit.

**Gannon** · January-04-11, 11:20 AM

SOME?! I hate this fucking request for longer posts!

lincoln8740 · January-04-11, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by Johnlodge

Wow, look at this graph! The murder rate went from all the way at the top to all the way at the bottom!

Now that is funny!!!

**English** · January-04-11, 12:57 PM

The rate would have decreased more with improved police presence and response time, as well as an improved economy.

citylover · January-04-11, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by English

The rate would have decreased more with improved police presence and response time, as well as an improved economy.

No connection between economy and crime......except where domestic violence is concerned. Lots of shitheads came up middle class and better going back to the purple gang and beyond.

If somehow there could be the kind of public service push in Detroit there way there was against for example smoking nationwide that might be interesting......really get people behind the idea of reducing crime.

Btw my claim about economy was what I believe Chief Godbee said this a.m. on 'det......The purple gang thought was mine.