Crime major theme among city council contenders

October 12, 2:13 PMDetroit Crime ExaminerRobert Brignall

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Detroit City Council, mich.gov

There are nine City Council seats up for grabs and 18 contenders will vie for those seats November 3. Let's get something straight- I am a crime examiner so it is not my place to recommend any partcular candidate, and I don't analyze any of them. Yet I noticed that crime has been a major theme in this campaign; many of the contenders have law enforcement experience.

Former Deputy Chief Gary Brown probably reflected the views of many of them when he said:"I'm hearing complaints at a level I've never heard before. Crime is out of control in this city, and it effects every single thing that goes on in Detroit. No business is going to come to this city, create jobs and invest money if we can't get a handle on crime."

There are two problems that the new council will face if it wants to change anything about crime. First, they are $300 million in the hole already. Second, they could not control the way Chief Evans is running the force even if they wanted to, and they don't want to.

I write this column because there is a common thread running through some candidate's remarks. Councilwoman Brenda Jones and candidate Charles Pugh want to promote year round volunteer efforts to patrol streets. Many other council hopefuls want to push community policing that have citizens more responsible for the safety of their neighborhoods. Councilman Kwame Kenyatta said it was up to the police to enforce the law "But at the same time the community has to be more engaged in making sure we look out for each other." A resident who see something going down has "gotta let folks know where crimes are being committed (and) who committed (them)."

I am on record as advocating that level of community involvement. See my article: "Garden City neighbors foil home invasion," 10/10/09. That doesn't make me a genious, but face it- if neighbors don't stand up for their neighborhood, their isn't enough police presence to pull crime down. Candidate and police officer James Tate may have said it best: "What stops crime is when you change the culture in the community." Easy? No. Possible? Yes. Just wait for devil's night and watch.