After a spate of violence in Detroit, both state and local police will increase patrols, says the Detroit Free Press. Starting today, Detroit police will lengthen patrol shifts from eight to 12 hours. “I’m a firm believer that increased visibility is a great deterrent to crime,” Assistant Chief Walter Shoulders said. Eight Michigan state troopers began working afternoon shifts in Detroit Feb. 12 after Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick met to discuss 35 Detroit homicides in January. Ron Scott of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, said a “military” response won’t resolve Detroit’s problems. “Eight state troopers are not going to make or break anything,” Scott said. “It almost seems like a political response rather than a crime response. There have been 17,000 people killed in Detroit in the past 30 years, and we get one spike in homicides and everyone reacts. You need a more comprehensive solution than just police. You need to address the economic, social, and community deterioration, the elimination of values.”
The state police already has a permanent Detroit post with 56 troopers working three shifts. It has another 15 undercover officers in the city to work on violent crime cases with federal agencies.
Link: http://www.freep.com/news/locway/patrol21_20040221.htm