During a press conference Monday afternoon, Detroit officials including Mayor Mike Duggan and Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison highlighted continued reductions in the number of violent crimes since the COVID-19 pandemic. They attributed the success to local, state, and federal agencies uniting to investigate and prevent crimes, along with community intervention efforts.
"We will continue to work together for a more secure Detroit and by extension, a more secure Michigan," Bettison said.
Chief Bettison specifically highlighted the strength of these partnerships, which include the Michigan State Police and federal agencies like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
A key component of the crime reduction strategy is the work of Community Violence Intervention (CVI) groups. These groups focus on saving lives and stopping the cycle of retaliation before police intervention is necessary.
According to Mayor Duggan, these groups are a critical part of the overall effort. To ensure this prevention work can continue, the Detroit City Council is now working to secure permanent funding for the community groups.
While celebrating the overall decline in crime, Mayor Duggan acknowledged the painful reality of ongoing violence.
"At 7:30 this morning, we had a teenager killed and another one shot," he said. "We had our 133rd homicide victim of the year. And while that's dramatically lower than we have seen, every single one is a painful loss of a member of this community. And it's a reminder to us why we have to keep doing what we're doing and making progress."
Asked if he'd accept National Guard troops to reduce crime in Detroit, as President Donald Trump has done this year in Washington D.C., Los Angeles and recently Portland, Mayor Duggan emphasized the systemic change driving the progress.
"I am a great believer that the way that you reduce crime in the long term is you change to a culture of accountability. You change individuals decision makings so that they don't pack the gun in the first place, that they don't go out to retaliate," Duggan said.
"All you have to do is look and say, there are places in the country where different agencies are tearing each other up. You won't find too many places where you are community activists in all your law enforcement are standing together in one place, and the people who benefit are the residents of the city of Detroit," Duggan said.
