DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Detroit Police Department and the city announced on Wednesday that crime is down 24%, which is the lowest rate since 1966.
Outside of the new technology that the city and department have invested in to tackle crime, officials say organizations a part of the Community Violence Intervention teams contributed to the latest trend.
“Once you get a mentality shift, the numbers are going to drop,” said Cierra Renee, the program director of Force Detroit.
Hear more from Cierra Renee and Force Detroit in the video below:
Renee is speaking about the work she does in the River Rouge community with Force Detroit, one of the six organizations a part of Detroit’s CVI program.
“One of our main tactics that we use is to employ credible messengers,” she said. “That’s individuals who have lived experiences or have either been just as involved or impacted (by violent crime), and they come and speak to the youth from a very deep and intimate perspective.”
Renee says this approach is what the organization thinks is the best practice at aiming to lower violent crime in neighborhoods.
“Particularly in the Cody, Rouge area, we have been accredited of decreasing violence by 72%,” she said.
But some residents, like Elaine Gill, who live in the area say they have not felt the impact as much.
“Last night, I want to say I heard about 18 gunshots,” Gill said.
Gill says she has lived in the River Rouge neighborhood since the 1970s. And while things were different back then, she says there are still some areas she avoids.
Hear more from Elaine Gill in the video below:
"I don’t drive down Joy Road,” she said.
Ultimately though, Gill says crime in her neighborhood does seem to have went down a little in the last four years.
“It has gotten better since the pandemic,” Gill said. “Because every house on this block has somebody in it.”
Gill says during the pandemic, several homes on her street were vacant. She said those homes have since been remodeled and people have moved in.
Renee said based on her team's relationship building in the community, she acknowledges that the need for social services is one big contributor to violent crime.
“There’s so much research and correlation between the cycles of violence and the poverty cycles,” Renee said.
She says Force Detroit is committed to bridging that gap in order to continue reducing violent crime rates.
“It’s not just about decreasing violence. It’s more about increasing love and support,” Renee said.
