MELVINDALE, Mich. (WXYZ) — It's Tuesday afternoon and the streets of Melvindale are busy. A resident, Kyra Smith, says speeding is a huge concern for the community.
"That's all they really do here. They fly, they go fast and they will go right in front of you," Smith said.
She said in the past two years, the problem has worsened.
"And we got a lot of kids here," Smith said.
That's why the Melvindale Police Department is rolling out extra measures including a zero-tolerance chase policy and adding five new high-performance patrol vehicles just in time for the summer when speeding statistically gets worse.
Extended interview: Melvindale Police Cpl. Mohamed Hacham talks about speeding drivers in the city
"We got two schools down the street and the crossing lady almost gets hit every single day," Melvindale Police Cpl. Mohamed Hacham said.
Hacham says so far this year, around 200 speeding tickets have been issued by the department.
Since Oakwood Boulevard is where drivers often speed, Hacham had his speed gun ready to go.
"It gives you the feet away and the exact speed the vehicle is going at, and that little dot is pin-pointed at each vehicle... and we just got 44 mph on a 30," Hacham said.
"She was doing 44 in a 30. It's always 80% of the people that live in the city. She does live in the city. But she does have a clean driving record and she just picked up her daughter from the dentist, so I do take that into consideration. Again, we are not looking to give everybody a ticket, and I kind of just warned her."
But Hacham says currently, the youth is the department's concern.
"I was watching this group of kids and he pulled out of the parking lot and he picked up some speed. And he was like I'm going home because my grandma fell. So I followed him home and so just in case if his grandma fell and she needed help. Turned out it was a lie and his dad was the one who actually told me to give him a ticket," Hacham said.
Web extra: We ride along with Melvindale Police Cpl. Mohamed Hacham
But an 18-year-old's story left Hacham and me shocked after his modified vehicle caught Hacham's attention.
"That's one of the tickets... $250," Abdul Salam said.
Salam, a Melvindale resident, showed me some of the many speeding tickets he has been slapped with over a few months.
"Do you ever think what your parents would go through if something happened to you? Does that not prevent you from speeding?" I asked Salam.
"No," Abdul said.
Hear more from driver Abdul Salam and Cpl. Mohamed Hacham in the video player below:
"Usually, the kids I encounter, I take them under my wing and I tell them like an older brother some knowledge and sense into them. I've never ran across him. That crazy," Hacham said.
"Ok, he is here right now; what can you tell him that speeding is dangerous?" I asked.
"That I never really want to see him end up on the news with his car wrapped around a tree or wrapped around something and him not being with us," Hacham said.
Moving forward, Hacham says he will be checking in with Salam. Hacham has a message for drivers in the city.
"We will impound cars, and don't run away from us because we will chase you," Hacham said.
