Latest news with #ShotStoppers
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Police officials applaud lawmakers as they progress public safety and violence prevention package
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison talks to lawmakers on the Michigan House Government Operations Committee about the need for public safety funding on April 17, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols In 2024, Detroit saw the lowest number of homicides recorded in the city since 1965, a triumph Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison told lawmakers Thursday was achieved in large-part by community violence intervention programs that he says would be able to continue doing effective work if legislators pass a proposed state Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund. Bettison and police chiefs from Dearborn, Taylor, Livonia and other municipalities came to the Michigan House Government Operations Committee to offer support for a $115 million Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund being considered by lawmakers with the goal of distributing funds to local law enforcement to curb violent crime. Community violence intervention, or CVI, programs such as ShotStoppers, Detroit Friends & Family and FORCE Detroit were able to reduce violent crime by up to 70% in some service areas between November 2023 and January 2024, a report from the city found. The three programs in the report engage trusted community members in Detroit neighbors to implement tailored approaches to reduce gun violence in the city. And though the fund will help to save lives in cities with higher crime rates like Detroit and Flint, Bettison said, many municipalities in Michigan will dramatically benefit from being able to form or strengthen their own CVI programs to curb violence. Rep. Mike Harris (R-Waterford) went through a list off estimated distributions for communities the members on the committee represent: $176,000 for Owosso, $1.9 million for Flint, $261,000 for Waterford Township, $50,000 for Ludington, nearly $500,000 for Muskegon, $3.2 million for Grand Rapids and $1.1 million for Warren. In Dearborn, one of Michigan's most populous cities and neighbor to Detroit, City Police Chief Issa Shahin said in addition to investing in CVIs, his department plans on using funds to hire more staff and officers to respond faster to calls and engage more proactively with neighborhoods before crime can occur. 'This is more than just funding. It's a commitment to public safety and smart, targeted and responsive to needs on the ground. I'll just be honest, policing is expensive. Communities want well-staffed, well-trained and well-resourced departments and that costs money,' Shahin said. 'This investment allows us to do that on behalf of our officers, our city and our residents.' The Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund, which was proposed for $75 million last legislative session with bipartisan support has since been increased to $115 million in order to dedicate $40 million to county sheriffs. The fund still has bipartisan support in the Republican-majority state House, but GOP leadership has raised concern that the Democratic-led state Senate won't take up the fund without trying to add other measures to it. The Government Operations Committee, which has three Republicans and two Democrats, passed the bills that create the fund, HB 4260 and 4261, out of committee unanimously Thursday, urging their colleagues in both chambers of the Legislature to work towards the common goal of safer communities. Funding public safety 'isn't about politics,' Harris said, 'it's about people.' 'It's about real families. It's about real neighborhoods, and it's about real law enforcement officers who need backup, and not just in the field, but here in Lansing from us.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hall says Michigan's Public Safety Trust Fund next priority for House Republicans
House Speaker Matt Hall at a press conference on the Appropriations Committee on Jan. 14, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols Having passed a Republican-led plan to fund repairing Michigan's crumbling roads through the state House, pending negotiations to get the Democratic-led state Senate on board with the plan, House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) has his eyes set on the Public Safety Trust Fund that didn't make it to the finish line last session. A $75 million Public Safety Trust Fund allocation in the state budget to fund local law enforcement initiatives and community violence prevention programming gained bipartisan support in the Michigan legislature last session, but the bills that would have created the fund itself were left behind in the chaos of the final days of the previous session in 2024. House Reps. introduce plan to finalize boost to public safety spending Public safety is a priority of the new Republican majority of the Michigan state House, Hall said during a news conference Wednesday and that safety is ensuring roads and other infrastructure are properly maintained and local communities have the funds to support tailored approaches to safety. When the House returns from its spring break in April, Hall says the Public Safety Trust Fund will be the body's top priority. 'We can invest more in our local communities by, for the first time in the history of Michigan, investing state dollars in our local communities for public safety,' Hall said. House Bills 4260 and 4261, introduced earlier this month, would create the fund, dedicating $75 million to local safety efforts, along with additional funds coming from sales tax revenue to support grant programs for community violence prevention resources. The bills have bipartisan sponsorship. Lawmakers are working with community leaders to ensure the formula for distributing funds works well for communities where the need is greatest, Hall said, noting that legislators have engaged with Detroit's Mayor Mike Duggan, who was a vocal supporter of the fund last session. In Detroit, one arena where the city had planned to use the fund is the ShotStoppers program as federal dollars expire after the city reported drops in violent crime up to 83% where programs were implemented. Created through a $10 million investment from the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan Act, ShotStoppers utilizes performance grants to community organizations to develop and implement violence reduction initiatives. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top takeaways from Mayor Mike Duggan's final State of the City address
Mayor Mike Duggan enchanted an energetic crowd at his final State of the City address inside the new Hudson's Detroit skyscraper, highlighting his administration's successes of confronting Detroit's dire issues over the last decade while reassuring Detroiters a promising future. Duggan distributed praises among residents, business leaders, Detroit's clergy community and politicians for helping the city emerge out of his hardships, particularly after the city filed for municipal bankruptcy before his taking office. In his 12 years as mayor, Detroiters have witnessed ample development and building restorations, crime reduction, eliminated abandoned housing and blight and restored recreation centers. But looming neighborhood issues remain, which Duggan cited as the city's "biggest battle" in the last 12 years. "I thought we could bring every neighborhood back. It was started by demolishing it at rates faster than anybody in the country," Duggan said, adding that since taking office, the city had 47,000 abandoned houses. Through a partnership with the Detroit Land Bank Authority, which sold 15,000 houses and expects to have 1,000 by the end of the year, neighborhoods are expected to improve. Here are some takeaways from his speech: More: Mayor Mike Duggan drew Dan Gilbert, roaring audience for his final State of the City speech Many predicted a bleak future for Detroit when the city's unemployment rate reached nearly 20%, but Duggan attempted to maximize opportunities on the city's vacant land. Through his tenure, several manufacturers stepped in to develop facilities on those sites, which would open up hundreds or even thousands of jobs. These included several automotive companies and major businesses, such as Amazon, to anchor a business center at the old State Fairgrounds. Last June, Ford Motor Company restored and reopened the abandoned Michigan Central Station, a long-awaited development showcasing elaborate attention to details in its restoration. In 2014, Detroit was considered the "most violent city" as residents and police officers left. The city consistently boosted public safety by hiring more officers, providing them $10,000 in raises and advocated for Community Violence Intervention initiatives that have had a big affect on reducing neighborhood crime. Duggan said 99% of the police department's positions are filled to date. Duggan hailed a major drop in homicides in 2024, marking the lowest since 1969, and commended Community Violence Intervention initiatives like ShotStoppers for reducing gun violence in the city. Since taking office, Duggan was tasked with balancing the city's budget and growing revenues. In his latest budget address, he proposed several financial boosts across multiple departments, thanks to increased revenues from more income tax collections as people have moved back to the city — reversing a decades-long decline in population — and new business have opened. Funding homelessness initiatives to increase shelters and beds, hiring more Detroit Department of Transportation drivers and mechanics, buying new buses, and boosting public safety were among the investment priorities in his $3-billion budget proposal to Detroit City Council. Several investments include new parks and proposed projects, like bringing a multi-sports complex and an entertainment district to the riverfront. The mayor highlighted transforming what would have been a condominium complex on the East Riverfront into Gabriel Richard Park, paving the path to further developments along one of Detroit's most visited attractions. That includes Riverside Park on the west side of the riverfront, which was previously abandoned and closed, and rebuilding AB Ford Park on the east side, and Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park at West Jefferson Avenue and Rosa Parks Boulevard. Plans to partially demolish two towers surrounding the Renaissance Center, Michigan's tallest building and an icon of Detroit's skyline, have been a subject across the city in a proposed effort to redevelop the riverfront. General Motors moved into the building in 2000 but recently announced it would move into Hudson's Detroit. Businessman Dan Gilbert's Bedrock firm and GM are partnering on a proposal to remove two of the RenCen five towers — those facing the riverfront — while the center hotel tower would remain as a hotel, the two remaining towers would be reconceived: one as an office tower and the other as apartments, which would include affordable housing units. The plan also calls for a quarter-mile park for an entertainment destination similar to Chicago's Navy Pier. Restoring the two towers proposed for demolition could be an option, but Duggan added it would be cheaper to build entirely new housing due to the building's layers of steel and concrete, which would require extra work to run plumbing and utilities. Despite mixed reviews about the RenCen proposal, Duggan promised better days ahead for Detroiters. "You're going to have more days like we had last April," Duggan said, referencing the 2024 NFL draft, which drew about 775,000 visitors, followed by celebrating "an even bigger event ... when the (NCAA) Final Four comes to Detroit," landing a grand applause and cheers from the audience. Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@ Follow her: @DanaAfana This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Top takeaways from Mayor Mike Duggan's 2025 State of the City address
