Latest news with #ForceDetroit
CBS News
30-06-2025
- CBS News
Detroit community organizations launching new initiative after recent shootings
In less than 24 hours, the community around Skinner Playfield near Duchess Street and Morang Avenue in Detroit was rocked by the shooting deaths of three people, including 4-year-old Samir Grubbs. "You would have definitely, never, ever, forgotten about Samir and you will not forget him, as long as I have breath in my body," said his mother, Jasmine Grubbs. In response, leaders of all the city's Community Violence Intervention organizations gathered to announce their newest initiative, "Protect the Zone," steps from where those lives were lost. "We are tired, and we are sick of this deadly disease. This should not have happened. This should not have happened," said Quincy Smith, executive director of Team Pursuit. "We're going to show up and support. This is not our zone. This is not our community, but the leaders in this community have the full support of every organization inside of Detroit. That's how Detroit is moving from now on," said DuJuan "Zoe" Kennedy, executive director of Force Detroit. Teams of all ages took off immediately, putting boots on the ground to knock on every door in the neighborhood. "We're also speaking to legislators, decision makers, people who have the power to fund public safety and put us in a position, so this doesn't happen again," said Smith. Their goal is to encourage parents to engage with their children, connecting them with resources to help prevent senseless acts of violence in the future. "This isn't a partisan issue! This is the most nonpartisan issue on the face of the planet!" said community activist Teferi Brent. Organizers say they plan to visit every neighborhood in Detroit with their message to offer direct support, with what they call for zone and community-by-community approach.
Axios
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Todd Bettison picked as top police chief candidate
Mayor Mike Duggan named former deputy mayor Todd Bettison as his pick for the city's next police chief. The big picture: Bettison is the interim police chief. He also served in the police department for nearly 30 years before becoming deputy mayor in 2022. He takes over during a time of noteworthy drops in homicides and shootings. City leaders are lauding successful officer recruitment and a community violence intervention (CVI) program that started in 2023, aiming to mediate conflicts, address larger contributors to crime and connect at-risk people with services. What they're saying: Duggan praised Bettison for his unifying nature and leadership of the city's CVI. "We needed a way to integrate community violence intervention with the police department in which they weren't at odds with each other, that they were in harmony, and as deputy mayor, (Bettison) is the one who built, now, our nationally recognized CVI program," Duggan said at an announcement Monday. Dujuan "Zoe" Kennedy of Force Detroit, one of the local groups the city pays to carry out CVI strategies, complimented the success metrics Bettison created for the program and said he's an example of what a chief should be. Zoom in: Bettison joined DPD in 1994, though he originally wanted to be in the FBI while going to school at Wayne State. He spoke with an officer who told him about the pay — higher than his young self expected — and that decision changed his life, he said during the announcement. Catch up quick: The previous police chief, James White, left to become CEO of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, a mental health and substance use services organization. Detroit's Board of Police Commissioners conducted a required nationwide search, per the Free Press, though those on the board and members of the public advocated for Bettison throughout. Of the top five candidates, BridgeDetroit reported on lawsuits and misconduct investigations faced by three of them. The Free Press wrote that Bettison has "largely avoided controversy" since 2007, when he pleaded no contest to driving under the influence while off-duty in a squad car. Of note: City Council must vote to confirm Bettison before he officially gets the position.
