crime

The 6 most dangerous neighborhoods in Michigan

Mark Brush — Fri, 31 May 2013 18:02:27 +0000

With all the problems in Flint and Detroit, it's no surprise we see these cities end up on "most dangerous cities" lists.

The lists are generated using violent crime statistics from the FBI's annual "Uniform Crime Reports."

But all cities have neighborhoods prone to crime and many other neighborhoods that are not. They are safe, for the most part.

Location, Inc. says they took data from the FBI and other "exclusive data" developed by the company to rank the safety of specific neighborhoods around the country.

Earlier this month, they released their list, Top 25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in America, on their website NeighborhoodScout. There are six Michigan neighborhoods on the list. The top three are in Detroit.

(Click on the street names below to see a map of the neighborhoods.)

Detroit (West Chicago / Livernois Avenue)
Detroit (Mack Avenue / Helen Street)
Detroit (Gratiot Avenue / Rosemary)
Detroit (Wyoming Street / Orangelawn Street)
Saginaw (East Holland Avenue / East Genesee Avenue)
Flint (Chambers Street / Stonegate Drive)

Don't know much about Detroit's new Chief of Police? Read this.

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:10:29 +0000

Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr named former Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig as Detroit's new Chief of Police.

Michigan Radio's Sarah Hulett attended the press conference, where Orr announced that Craig will begin July 1, 2013:

The new police chief of Michigan's largest city says he's committed to reducing violence and making the Detroit Police Department a premier police agency.

This announcement followed the plan that Orr outlined in his 45-day report on Detroit's economic status.

Fraudulent loan activity declines in Michigan

Steve Carmody — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:13:16 +0000

Fraudulent loan activity declined slightly in Michigan at the end of last year.

Kroll Factual Data checks loan applications for phony buyers, attempts to misrepresent the value of homes and other fraudulent information.

Kroll president Rod Bazzani says there's been a surge in home loan refinancing, which may explain the decline. He says refinancing more than doubled last year.

Insurer: Flint arson ring operated for 2 decades

The Associated Press — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:28:46 +0000

FLINT, Mich. (AP) - An insurance company says more than a dozen people operated an arson-for-profit ring in Flint that collected more than $2 million over two decades.

The Flint Journal reports State Farm Insurance says in a lawsuit in Detroit federal court that fires purposely were started at homes owned or rented by members of the group. The insurer says insurance claims were filed to receive thousands of dollars in insurance payouts.

No criminal charges have been filed against any of those named the case.

The case has sparked counter lawsuits by some of the defendants. Six of those named in the State Farm lawsuit have settled, including Flint-based public adjustment company Allied and Associates and Gary Lappin, its president. He calls the case "witch hunt."

State Farm isn't discussing the case.

Will 7 new police officers in Flint help?

Stateside Staff — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:04:45 +0000

There are seven new police officers patrolling the streets of Flint. They were hired as part of a public safety millage approved by Flint voters last November.

The millage is expected to generate $5.3 million this year, but what's going to happen in future years as the population keeps shrinking and property values drop?

With the recent hiring of seven officers, the Flint Police Department now has 124 officers. That is down from an estimated 350 officers when times were better.

Will these new officers help make a dent in Flint's crime rate? Flint is in the unenviable spot near the top of many of the "most violent city" lists.

Kevin Smith is the president of the Flint Police Officer's Association.

He mentioned that the seven new officers won't make a big difference any time soon. We asked what it would take, in terms of staffing, to make Flint noticeably safer.

To hear the full interview, click the link above.

Flint's mayor talks about violent crime, budget deficit and 'reconstruction'

Steve Carmody — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 01:17:18 +0000

Flint mayor Dayne Walling says his city must now make a transition to an era of 'reconstruction' after a 'generation of decline.'
Walling told the audience at his ‘State of the City’ address Monday that in order to begin that transition Flint must deal with its crime problem.
Flint had the worst violent crime rate in the nation last year.
“We have lost too many lives. Too many of our promising youth who were confined to environments that were always dangerous and all too often became deadly,” Walling told his audience.

People in Grand Rapids working on ways to curb spike in homicide rate

Lindsey Smith — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:38:20 +0000

There have been nine murders in the last thirty days in Grand Rapids. That’s almost as many as the state’s second largest city sees during an average year. But the community is working on a game plan to fight the violence.
Friday morning about a thousand people gathered at Messiah Missionary Baptist Church. They prayed and they made plans for many smaller meetings over the next 60 days.

Rethinking Michigan's public defender system

Jake Neher and jake — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 02:32:48 +0000

A proposed overhaul to Michigan’s public defense system will have to wait until next year for action by the state Legislature.
State lawmakers passed a flurry of bills in their “lame duck” session. But there were a number of high-profile bills that didn’t move at all.
One of those would change the way the state appoints lawyers to people who can’t afford one.
Michigan’s public defense system is considered one of the worst in the country.

Detroit to open 13 police 'mini-stations'

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:13:09 +0000

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing says 13 police mini-stations will open throughout the city.
Six of them have opened today, and the rest will be in place by March.
The announcement comes on the day police confirmed the shooting deaths of four people in a home on the east side of Detroit, and a week after the city acknowledged that the number of homicides this year has already has eclipsed the total for 2011.
Each of the mini-stations will be staffed with a permanent officer, a police reservist and a community volunteer.

Paper lanterns to launch on dark Detroit block

The Associated Press — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 16:26:00 +0000

DETROIT (AP) - Floating paper lanterns will be launched in Detroit's former Chinatown as part of a community-based event.

The Saturday evening event near Wayne State University is dubbed "Illuminating Chinatown." The lanterns made by local artists, designers and university students are set to be launched in a block without working street lights.

Paper lanterns were first used as signaling balloons and now are used in festivals to signify good luck and new beginnings. Organizers say they also intend for them to signal change coming from the hands of the community.

Updates on the I-96 shooter

Mark Brush and Stateside Staff — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:00:37 +0000

Update Thursday, November 1, 2:00 p.m.
A series of shootings on or near I-96 has Michigan motorists thinking twice about driving the interstate.
A police task force reports 24 confirmed shootings since October 16. Here is a summary of what we've learned since then:

Study will determine if racial profiling a factor in Kalamazoo traffic stops

Lindsey Smith — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 04:18:06 +0000

Kalamazoo’s Public Safety Department is conducting a study to see if its officers unfairly target racial and ethnic minorities.
The study is not being court ordered, the city isn’t being sued, and there hasn’t been any big incident that sparked the study. Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley says that’s a good thing.
“These types of issues can bring a lot of emotion… and it makes it a lot more difficult to talk reasonably and to talk productively and constructively in how we move forward,” Hadley said.
Hadley says the department wants to try to avoid problems and they’re hoping the study will help.
“Spending money on this type of study I think is really an investment into our relationship with the community; and how important they are in how we operate as a public safety department and how we keep this city safe,” Hadley said.

Detroit Crime Commission gets $1 million to fight crime on east side

The Associated Press — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:13:48 +0000

DETROIT (AP) — The new Detroit Crime Commission is getting a $1 million federal grant to help fight crime on the city's east side.
The money will be used to develop a "data-driven approach" to identify issues fueling crime. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy says she's putting an assistant prosecutor in place to concentrate on Detroit's east side.
U.S. Rep. Hansen Clarke, D-Mich., will present a symbolic check to the Detroit Crime Commission on Tuesday. The commission is a nonprofit group formed last year to act as a liaison between the public and law enforcement agencies.
It is staffed by retired law enforcers and led by Andrew Arena, the former head of the Detroit FBI.

Shoplifting rings on the rise

Rina Miller — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 20:59:51 +0000

Organized gangs that steal from retail stores in Michigan are not only driving up prices, they're putting the public at risk.

Saginaw police officers disciplined in wake of homeless man shooting, mother still looks for answers

Mark Brush — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:56:21 +0000

Earlier this month it was announced the Saginaw police officers who shot and killed a homeless, mentally ill man would not face criminal charges. 49-year-old Milton Hall was killed by Saginaw Police July 1, after police say he refused to drop a knife. Six officers fired several dozen shots at Hall.
Now we hear that some officers will be disciplined internally by the Saginaw Police Department.