Detroit doesn’t often have good news it can brag about. But Police Chief Warren Evans reports homicides in Detroit are down 25% for the first 3 months of 2010 compared to 2009. That’s pretty significant, especially considering Michigan’s, and Detroit’s, unemployment rates. Michigan’s unemployment rate in February was 14.1%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics breaks the Detroit metropolitan area into two divisions, including parts of the city and suburbs. This skews the real unemployment rate in the city, which has been estimated at 50%.
Chief Evans credits his “mobile strike force” concept, which calls for increased traffic stops in statistically high crime areas. He is committed to getting as much dope and weapons off the street as possible. The former may be a motive, while the latter an instrument, for homicide. If statistics tell the story, the Chief may be on to something.
Evans can point to reduced homicde rates to support his efforts. But critics claim the measures amount to racial profiling or other abuses. In a city that’s 90% black, how can there be racial profiling against the majority?
“We’re asking officers to make legal stops of cars that look suspicious that have broken traffic laws,” Evans said. “Is that too much to ask?”
The Chief’s commitment impresses 38-year-old Detroit resident Kevin Rice, who recognized Evans while the Chief was on patrol on the city’s northwest side. “To see him out here means he’s not just collecting a paycheck,” Rice said. “He’s actually trying to see what he can do to solve some of these problems.”
