Criminal incidents are on the decline in the Detroit Public Schools, according to new data from school officials.
“Serious incidents” such as assault and weapons possession dropped from 456 in the first three months of last school year, to 343 during the same time frame this year—a nearly 25% decline.
“It’s a larger ongoing trend,” said DPS police chief Stacy Brackens. “We’ve had a downward trend since 2010.”
Brackens credits his force of “fully certified” officers, who have citywide jurisdiction and also work jointly with other law enforcement agencies like the Michigan State Police, with the reduction.
“We also we have a large cadre of citizen volunteers who help us patrol during the school day, to provide coverage for our students on their way to school and on their way home,” Brackens said.
The district has been able to expand its Safe Routes to School program this school year, thanks to a $200,000 grant from AAA. However, Bracken says there’s still a need for more citizen volunteers on patrol.
The data is based on the number of incidents reported to DPS Police.
The district’s enrollment has also fallen off in the past several years: from just under 70,000 students in 2012, to around 47,000 this school year.
