Detroit police say property and violent crime down
Violent and property crimes were down in Detroit last year compared to 2014, according to Detroit police statistics.
The city reported a 23% drop in stolen vehicles, from 10,356 in 2014 to 7,938 last year; an 18% decline in robberies, from 3,806 to 3,103, and a 15% drop in burglaries, from 10,600 to 9,027.
Police reported there were 295 criminal homicide cases last year, down from 299 in 2014.
“Nobody’s declaring success — we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Mayor Mike Duggan said Thursday. “I think what the men and women of the police department have done is terrific."
He also credited Detroit Police Chief James Craig, whose leadership he said "has been outstanding.”
Craig said the lower numbers are a sign of steady progress, as other big cities see increases in violence.
“It’s not a success flag," Craig said. "We’re going to keep pushing hard. Our cops are working extremely hard.”
Detroit's homicide rate has improved in recent years. In 2012, when the city had 386 criminal homicide cases, the rate was the highest it had been in nearly two decades: 55 homicides per 100,000 residents.
The rate was 43 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2015, based on the U.S. Census Bureau's 2014 population estimates.
Despite the drop, the rate remains high among large cities. Last year, Chicago had roughly 470 killings, an increase from 416 in 2014, according to the Chicago Tribune. According to the Wall Street Journal, New York saw 350 homicides last year, up from 333. That means Chicago had about 17 homicides per 100,000 residents last year, and New York had 4 homicides per 100,000 residents.
St. Louis, meanwhile, had a higher homicide rater than Detroit. According to the St. Louis Police Department, the city had 188 homicides in 2015 — up from 159 a year before — giving it a rate of 59 homicides per 100,000 residents.
In Detroit, the 9th Precinct, located on the east side, recorded 46 homicide cases — the most of any precinct, according to data the city provided.
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Detroit police also reported fewer non-fatal shootings: 1,035 last year compared to 1,052 in 2014.
Duggan said the city needs to hire 220 cops to fill vacancies, and a recent pay raise for officers will help. In additional to annual raises, the city raised starting pay for officers to $36,000 from $31,700 last year.
“It’s a step in the right direction," Duggan said, "but we have a long way to go."
Contact Gina Damron: gdamron@freepress.com