Latest news with #DetroitPolice
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Laser pointer aimed at Detroit police chopper came from Canada, authorities said
A Detroit police helicopter was zapped several times late Monday with a laser pointer, something that is dangerous to those aboard because the lights can temporarily blind the pilot, authorities confirmed. It is also illegal in the United States to point the lights at aircraft. The laser beams, Detroit police told the Free Press in an email, seemed to come from the Canadian side of the Detroit River and were directed at the department's air support unit. Detroit police reported the incident to Canadian authorities. A laser pointer or pen is a device that emits a low-power beam. At short distances, it shines a small dot on objects. In the dark, however, when the beam hits the windshield of a chopper, the light disperses like a camera flash. Over the years, law enforcement groups have explained in public warnings that shining a laser at aircraft is dangerous because, from the cockpit, the pinpoint of light looks like a floodlight. If caught, someone aiming a beam at an aircraft could be charged and fined. It is a felony under both federal and state law. In 2024 alone, pilots reported more an 12,000 laser strikes to the Federal Aviation Administration. Even worse, the beam might cause a fatal crash. More: Rushing to reach the airport? This airline serving Michigan wants you there sooner Police officials have said choppers are vital to law enforcement. In 2024, the Detroit Police boasted on social media that it received a new helicopter that could stay in the air longer and was faster than previous aircraft. In a short video, the department said it has been using helicopters for decades. But, police said, in the early 2000s, it sold its birds under financial pressure. In 2014, the department said it received a military-style helicopter. But in 2024, the new chopper gave the department a boost because it could stay in the air up to four hours and was commercially rated, which, the department said in its post, also could help with aviator training. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Laser pointed at Detroit police chopper prompts call to Canadians
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Key takeaways from Mackinac Policy Conference's Detroit mayoral debate
Five candidates faced off at the Detroit mayoral debate during the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 29, 2025. | Kyle Davidson MACKINAC ISLAND – On the final night of the Mackinac Policy Conference, five candidates gathered in the Grand Hotel's Tea Garden to make their case on why they should be Detroit's next mayor. The five-person panel included former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, Detroit City Council member Fred Durhal III, former nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins, Triumph Church Pastor Rev. Solomon Kinloch, Jr. and current Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield. Candidates fielded questions about the city's tax incentives, their plans to support business and education, address violent crime and poverty and ensure sustainable funding in the city's budget. Although the panel did not represent the full range of candidates seeking election as the city's mayor, the group was selected by the Detroit Regional Chamber's Political Action Committee due to time constraints. Attorney Todd Perkins, businessman Joel Haashiim, entrepreneur Jonathan Barlow and two-time mayoral candidate Danetta Simpson are also competing for Detroit's executive office, with the primary election scheduled for August 5. The two candidates with the highest vote total will advance to the general election on Nov. 4. With a wide field of candidates each seeking to make the final ballot, here are the highlights from each participant. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Opening the debate, Jenkins noted that many of the city's tax abatement programs would begin expiring in 2027, with over half set to expire by 2030. Jenkins said she would retool these programs at the risk of losing businesses and jobs within Detroit. As Mayor Mike Duggan – who opted against seeking reelection to pursue an independent bid for governor – worked to rebuild confidence in the city, bringing in investments and jobs, the same needed to happen in the city's neighborhoods, Jenkins said, calling for a commercial corridor in each of the city's seven districts. 'We have to ensure that our planning is intentional and that it is inclusive,' Jenkins said. 'And when we are having discussions about tax abatements, discussions about affordable housing, we have a real plan in place that is driving development and affordable housing and public transit in a way that is building our neighborhoods.' If elected, Jenkins said she would craft a strategic plan to help shape economic development in each district, working with communities to decide how they want their commercial districts to look. There is also a need for additional office space for startups that can't afford space downtown, she said. Neighborhood planning efforts should include schools, in order to ensure students have access to high quality options for education, Jenkins said. Additionally, as the city moves forward without $826 million in federal revenue it received through the American Rescue Plan Act, and payments under the city's 'Grand Bargain' coming to an end, the city needed to find ways to grow its businesses and its population, Jenkins said. She noted that she sees a role for a chief growth officer in her administration, if elected. Throughout the debate, Durhal pointed to his prior experience as a member of the Michigan Legislature, promising to coordinate with lawmakers on property tax reform and a willingness to go to bat for additional resources for education within the city. He repeatedly noted, however, that solutions come with a price tag, quoting his grandmother in saying there's 'no romance without finance.' Aside from pressing the city to utilize its current resources and maintaining discipline in the budget process, Durhal proposed a tax on blighted properties and a speculative tax on land sitting under development as potential new sources of revenue. He also pitched a corridor improvement authority for the city, focused on creating walkable neighborhoods where residents have access to groceries and other amenities, which could catalyze small business in the process. Kinloch remained focused on Detroit's neighborhoods and their residents throughout the debate, and said he would work to bring the neighborhoods to the table on issues like tax policy. Kinloch said that the next mayor needed to be open to doing something new to address homelessness, poverty and job creation. He also argued the city's budget could use input from people whose priorities are aligned with the community. On the push to bring business back to residential areas of the city, Kinloch said Detroit should leverage its corporate, philanthropic and community partnerships to create an apprenticeship program to funnel Detroiters into high paying jobs. The city should also work with private-industry grocers to mentor entrepreneurship opportunities, Kinloch said. He also called for an end to food deserts within the city's neighborhoods. 'People shouldn't have to eat out of a liquor store or a gas station,' Kinloch said. Addressing education, Kinloch said his administration would bring in a chief educational officer to coordinate with the Detroit Public Schools superintendent and school board to ensure that the city is providing supplemental resources to ensure students arrive at school healthy and whole. As his fellow candidates offered pitches to address poverty and support businesses in the city, Craig said there needs to be a focus on growing the middle class. 'I talked a lot about growing small businesses. That doesn't take away from continuing to grow big businesses,' Craig said. 'We have got to raise revenues in the city. … We have to collaborate.' That means having a business-friendly city, Craig said. 'And one of the things that I've heard as chief and deputy mayor over time is that in many of the neighborhoods, they feel left out,' he said. 'They feel left out, the businesses feel left out.' Craig argued there's too much red tape for businesses coming into the city, and that efforts to make the city more friendly to business would help stabilize property taxes and keep them lower. He further emphasized the importance of continuing to bring in new business, and that tax dollars pay for vital services like police, fire departments and infrastructure. On policing, Craig promised to pick up where he left off in building trust through neighborhood policing, and noted that homicides had fallen to the lowest level since the 1960s during his tenure as police chief. However, Craig criticized gun buyback programs within the city, saying 'I have never in my 44 years in policing seen a criminal turn in a gun.' 'They don't work. It's all political talk,' he said. While other candidates pledged to work across the aisle to win support for the city from lawmakers in Lansing, Craig pointed to his existing relationship with President Donald Trump, who praised Craig for his response to Black Lives Matter protests in the Summer of 2020. Protestors later filed federal lawsuits arguing the Detroit Police Department used unconstitutional and excessive force and prevented them from exercising their First Amendment rights. The city agreed to a $1 million settlement in 2022. 'It's not about me, it's not about the president, it's about the city of Detroit,' he said. As her opponents offered solutions to address the expiring tax abatement program, Sheffield said her focus would be on addressing poverty and the high property tax rate, which lead to the need for these programs to begin with. Sheffield promised 'real structural property tax reform,' instead. The city also needs to continue to build its middle class, Sheffield said, noting that while Detroit's median income sits around $38,000, the median for the state is around $70,000. 'Without a doubt, we have to ensure that more investment comes back into our neighborhoods, and that we're activating our commercial corridors,' Sheffield said. 'I'm very excited for my administration to be way more hands on as it relates to the education of our youth.' Schools and the workforce are also targets for support, Sheffield said. 'We have to invest more in education and the workforce, creating a pipeline that is ready for the jobs that are coming for today and of tomorrow,' she said. Sheffield also called for a holistic approach in addressing crime which includes community policing alongside programs and efforts to deal with the root causes of violence. She said that could be done by providing support for mental health, jobs and education. If elected, Sheffield said she would retain Todd Bettison as police chief. Detroit is also in need of a new funding approach for programs that would have previously been funded by the federal government. Sheffield said she would consider floating a local sales option tax, a tax on admission to sporting events, concerts and other types of entertainment or a half-a-penny tax. 'If cost savings could be achieved within various departments, I think we should look at that, but more importantly, it's going to be about bringing more revenue into the city of Detroit to fund various programs,' Sheffield said, who later promised to aggressively pursue federal funding alongside state and local partners.
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Detroit police seek information on 2 people in shooting near Martin Luther King Jr. High School
Police in Detroit are seeking information about two people in connection with a shooting at Martin Luther King Jr. High School that happened Thursday night. Shots were fired by an unknown number of people in the parking lot of the school on the 3200 block of East Lafayette Street around 8:26 p.m., police said. No one was injured. On Friday, law enforcement released the photos of two people who officials say were in the area at the time of the shooting. Detroit police say this person was near Martin Luther King Jr. High School when shots were fired in the area on May 20, 2025. Detroit Police Department Detroit police say this person was near Martin Luther King Jr. High School when shots were fired in the area on May 20, 2025. Detroit Police Department Investigators are hoping to speak with these two people. Anyone who recognizes either person or has information about the incident is asked to call the Detroit Police Department's 7th Precinct at 313-596-5740, Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-773-2587 or leave an anonymous tip here.
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Detroit police investigate shooting near Martin Luther King Jr. High School
Police in Detroit are investigating a shooting that happened Thursday night near Martin Luther King Jr. High School. The incident happened around 8:26 p.m. Thursday in the 3200 block of East Lafayette, when police say a suspect or suspects fired shots in the high school's parking lot. Several teenagers were in the parking lot at the time of the shooting. No one was injured in the shooting, but police are looking to speak to a person of interest who they say was in the area at the time of the shooting. Detroit police are looking to speak to a person of interest who they say was in the area at the time of the shooting. Detroit Police Department Anyone with information on the incident or who recognizes the person of interest is asked to call DPD's 7th Precinct at 313-596-5740, CrimeStoppers at 1-800-Speak Up, or
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Detroit police searching for suspect accused of hitting man with a bottle outside liquor store
A felonious assault with a bottle happened just outside a liquor store in Detroit, and police are seeking information to help in locating the suspect. The circumstances began around 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the 500 block of East State Fair Avenue, according to the Detroit police report. The suspect, who was outside the liquor store, asked a 60-year-old man for money. When the victim denied that request, the suspect went into the store, came out with a bottle and allegedly struck the victim. Security image of a suspect in an assault May 22, 2025, outside a liquor store in Detroit. Detroit Police Department The suspect also tried to hit the victim with another object. The victim instead fled the scene, and called police from a different location. Officers noted that he refused treatment for his minor injuries Detroit police ask that anyone who has information about the assault call the Detroit Police Department's 11th Precinct at 313-596-1140, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak Up, or go to
