As Detroit breaks down, scourge of arson burns out of control
2013 - 2014 Executive Budget Summary | Detroit Budget Archives Information | Find Detroit History & Archives | How Do I | City of Detroit
OVERVIEW:Describes the City's organization, financial processes and policies (147 kb) SUMMARY - ALL FUNDS:Sorts the activities proposed for 2013-2014 according to overall functions of City government, organizational units of administration, funds, budgetary objects, and major types of revenue. It explains capital, operating and staffing proposals in the context of historical trends. (938 kb) SUMMARY - GENERAL FUNDS:Sorts the activities proposed for 2013-2014 according to overall functions of City government, organizational units of administration, funds, budgetary objects, and major types of revenue. It explains capital, operating and staffing proposals in the context of historical trends Non-Departmental items, including agencies: Board of Ethics, Cable Commission, Detroit Building Authority, Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Authority, and Detroit Human Resource Management - HR Payroll Project (144 kb)Sinking Interest and Redemption (Debt Service) (25 kb)
Fewest cops are patrolling Detroit streets since 1920s
Detroit — There are fewer police officers patrolling the city than at any time since the 1920s, a manpower shortage that sometimes leaves precincts with only one squad car, posing what some say is a danger to cops and residents. Detroit has lost nearly half its patrol officers since 2000; ranks have shrunk by 37 percent in the past three years, as officers retired or bolted for other police departments amid the city's bankruptcy and cuts to pay and benefits. Left behind are 1,590 officers — the lowest since Detroit beefed up its police force to battle Prohibition bootleggers. "This is a crisis, and the dam is going to break," said Mark Diaz, president of the Detroit Police Officers Association. Police Chief James Craig acknowledges he doesn't have as many officers as he'd like. "These officers do the most difficult job in the country, and they need to get paid more," he said. Starting pay for Detroit officers is about $14 per hour, Diaz said. Staffing challenges Deployment shuffle Autoplay
Violent crime down 13% in Detroit, FBI records show
It’s been a year since Vaughn Arrington was carjacked outside his house on Pelkey in Detroit. Arrington was discussing a youth jobs program with a woman from Cleveland when a gunman assaulted the woman and drove off in Arrington’s Ford Mustang. Despite the incident, Arrington, 34, who installed video cameras on his east side property last year to record criminals, said crime is down in his neighborhood. “I’ve been the victim, but I’m telling you, things are getting better,” he said. New FBI statistics released Monday show violent crime dropped 13 percent in Detroit in 2015 compared to the year before, setting it apart from other major cities such as Chicago. Chicago reported 25,663 violent crimes in 2015, up from 24,085 a year earlier while nationally, the violent crime rate rose 3.9 percent. Despite Detroit’s decline, it still has the second highest violent crime rate for cities of more than 100,000 residents, trailing St. Among those were Warren, Dearborn, Lansing and Grand Rapids.
Detroit Rising: Life after bankruptcy
One year after a federal judge approves Detroit's bankruptcy exit plan, progress has been made while looming challenges remain, especially city pensions The City of Detroit has more than enough cash to pay its daily bills. Thousands of busted streetlights have been replaced. City retirees still receive pension checks, and valuable paintings remain ensconced in the gilded halls of the Detroit Institute of Arts. That's the good news. Among the greatest concerns: a multibillion-dollar pension bill that starts coming due in less than a decade. The city is on the hook to make a balloon pension payment estimated at more than $100 million in 2024 alone. So far, the early returns for the investments since the bankruptcy are falling short. It was officially known as a plan of adjustment. Some, especially retirees, remain embittered by pension cutbacks. "I think the early indicators exceeded our expectations," former Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr said in an interview late last month. Peter J.
9 ways Detroit is changing after bankruptcy
When Detroit filed for bankruptcy last July, observers around the world were shocked by how far some city services had deteriorated -- though it was no secret to residents. Average police response times clocked in at almost an hour. Tens of thousands of broken streetlights meant entire streets go dark at nightfall. How has the city changed since it entered bankruptcy? The Detroit Police Department says it is focused on hiring non-uniformed administrative staff so that it can move officers from desk duty to street patrols to concentrate on high-crime areas and react in real time to crime trends. A nonprofit group also was set up to administer $8 million in private donations from companies including Penske Corp. and Detroit's automakers that purchased and delivered 100 new police squad cars and 23 new ambulances — a boost to a city fleet that's old and prone to breakdowns. It's much the same with ambulance services. The new system will have about 65,000 light fixtures.
