DETROIT (WXYZ) — The city of Detroit is working to curb gun violence with a new partnership with the U.S. attorney's office, state, local and federal law enforcement agencies and community activists. They’re calling it One Detroit.
Law enforcement says while they've been working on One Detroit for a number of months, its announcement couldn't be better timed after violence in downtown Detroit over the weekend.
"We want people to stop using guns. It’s simple. Stop using guns. Stop using guns to solve conflict," said U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison at a Wednesday morning press conference.
Ison says the partnership includes representatives from Detroit Police, the city of Detroit, the Wayne County prosecutor's office, the DEA, the FBI, several social welfare groups, faith leaders, community activists and the Michigan Department of Corrections among others. Mayor Mike Duggan, who was at the conference, says it is fairly rare to have a federal prosecutor work with local and state partners to deter local crime.
Ison says previous crime reduction strategies focused predominantly on enforcement but this partnership will also put an emphasis on prevention and intervention and re-entry for returning citizens.
"We’re seeing an uptick right now in impulse decision making, irresponsible gun ownership, and people finding their way to illegal weapons in our community and making those horrible decisions quickly that are following them for the rest of their lives," said Detroit Police Department Chief James White.
To enforce crime already happening, the program will focus on identifying and arresting the most dangerous individuals/those most likely to commit violent crime in the community. There will also be an emphasis on high-crime areas.
To prevent crime, Ison says they will use educational tools and resources for youth at risk of engaging in violent crime. Currently, One Detroit partners are working to bring evidence-based school intervention programs to the area. Ison says one of the 20-week programs would target fifth-grade students with law enforcement/criminal justice-related education.
They say the last part of their strategy will involve putting an emphasis on re-entry programs for formerly incarcerated individuals.
The One Detroit Partners say gun violence is the leading cause of death among young Americans and they hope deploying this strategy will change that reality.
"We have more individuals carrying illegal weapons, more young people in this country that we’ve ever seen. The point at which someone sticks an illegal weapon under their belt and heads out of the house, we’ve lost. We’ve seen beefs turning into shootings over and over," said Duggan.
The U.S. attorney's office says they've already seen results in cities where they've applied the strategy. In Jackson, law enforcement agencies were able to remove violent gangs. They also reduced nonfatal shootings by 53% and homicides by 43%. Ison says in Pontiac, there was a 70% reduction in nonfatal shootings. In Flint, Ison says there was a 42% reduction in nonfatal shootings and a 38% reduction in homicides. They also applied the strategy to Saginaw where Ison says there was a 57% reduction in nonfatal shootings. All of these numbers represent the 2021-2022 time period.
The One Detroit Partners say they'll be using similar statistics to measure success in Detroit and neighboring communities.
Lloyd Howell Jr. says the violence over the last few years has slowed his trips downtown. He says he hopes the program makes a tangible difference like it has in other cities.
"You wouldn’t catch me down here three years ago but I saw more police so I thought it’d be safe but then I saw a huge fight down here and I’m like ahh let me go back down across 8 Mile with this. It’s scary," said Howell. "I’m hopeful. I want to bring my kids down here. I want to bring my family down here and I just want everyone to enjoy themselves."
Duggan says although it was not a part of the One Detroit Partnership, the city is also considering the addition of illegal gun-free zones. Duggan says it is a tactic they have deployed before for large events: screening attendees for illegal weapons. It's unclear what areas are being considered. Duggan says the information is forthcoming.
"The city doesn’t have a right to create gun-free zones contrary to state law however there’s nothing that says we have to let illegal weapons into any particular area. And so, I think you will see the city come out with plans for screening to keep illegal weapons out," said Duggan.
Ison says they're still working to launch a website for One Detroit where people can take an anti-gun violence pledge and learn more about the specific strategies and crime prevention events law enforcement agencies will deploy over the coming months.
