Enter At Your Own Risk: Police Union Says ‘War-Like’ Detroit Is Unsafe For Visitors
CBS Detroit: The men and women of the Detroit Police Department believe the city is too dangerous to enter, and they want citizens to know it. Detroit Police Officer Association (DPOA) Attorney Donato Iorio said officers held the “Enter At Your Own Risk” rally on Saturday in front of Comerica Park to remind the public that the officers are overworked, understaffed, and at times, fearful for their lives.
“Detroit is America’s most violent city, its homicide rate is the highest in the country and yet the Detroit Police Department is grossly understaffed,” Iorio told WWJ’s Kathryn Larson. “The DPOA believes that there is a war in Detroit, but there should be a war on crime, not a war on its officers.”
Iorio says the once 2,000 strong force is shrinking rapidly; since the start of summer, hundreds of officers have left the department. “These are the men and women who we look to protect us… and police officers can’t protect you if they’re not there. Officers are leaving simply because they can’t afford to stay in Detroit and work 12 hour shifts for what they are getting paid… These police officers are beyond demoralized, these officers are leaving hand over fist because they can no longer afford to stay on the department and protect the public,” he said.
And that’s why Iorio cautions those who enter the city to be wary. “The explosion in violent crime, the incredible spike in the number of homicides and for officers trying to work 12 hours in such deplorable, dangerous and war like conditions is simple untenable,” he said.
Iorio said the department today has less officers than ever, even though crime rates are through the roof. “By denying police officers the appropriate manpower, there’s a manpower crisis right now, there’s 1,000 fewer police officers today than there was 10 years ago, yet the homicide rate is higher. There’s more crime now than before, so if anything you need more officers, not fewer officers,” he said.
According to Wikipedia, the city consistently supports the Democratic Party in state and national elections. According to a study released by the Bay Area Center for Voting Research, Detroit is the most liberal large city in America. The violent crime rate is one of the highest in the United States. Neighborhoodscout.com reported a crime rate of 62.18 per 1,000 residents for property crimes, and 16.73 per 1,000 for violent crimes (compared to national figures of 32 per 1,000 for property crimes and 5 per 1,000 for violent crime in 2008).
My Traveler’s Guide to the Firearm Laws in the Fifty States gives Michigan a “50″ (based on “0″ in total prohibition to “100″ in total freedom). For the FY 2013 budget, the City of Detroit faces an accumulated $265 million General Fund deficit. The FY 2013 budget reduces police personnel by 355 positions or 11 percent.
How sad and scary would it be to live in Detroit right now? With statistics like this, I won’t be visiting Detroit anytime soon!
DCG
notice how none of the media have mentioned what is going on in and around this area? run all the muslims back across the border. I hear they are buying up schools, have their own police chiefs- “No Go Zones”. They come in here with 3 or 4 wives, claim one and the others as extended family and collect welfare for them. Send them packing.
Muslims are a problem in Dearborn, MI, but not Detroit. There, it’s the 83% majority black population.
From Wikipedia:
“In 1940, non-Hispanic whites were 90.4% of the city’s population. However, since 1950 the city has seen a major shift in its population to the suburbs. In 1910, fewer than 6,000 blacks called the city home; in 1930 more than 120,000 blacks lived in Detroit.
The 2010 census reported that the city had 82.7% African American, 10.6% White (7.8% non-Hispanic white), 1.1% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.0% other races, 2.2% two or more races. In addition, 6.8% of the population self-identified as Hispanic or Latino, of any race, mainly made up of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans.”
Good point, GF!
Hope ‘n Change
Since no one else seems to want to bring this up directly and I am sure I will called a RACIST again (yawn), this is the face of BLACK RUN AMERICA.
Call me whatever you want and I WILL NOT remain silent of still on this matter. Offended? Get over it already. Not that anyone here is going to call me a racist.
One only has to look at the billions of dollars that have been tossed into Detroit, and take Atlanta as another example, and this is what we will get. Our taxpayer dollars flushed down the drain to support a huge, crumbling city that is one big plantation. The whites who do remain in Detroit have no say in gov’t anymore in and around Detroit.
The parallels to South Africa are right there for all to see yet most fear mentioning any of this because of political correctness and modern libtards attack any and all who question the plantation system that is now part of the genetics of the Democratic party and modern liberal brainwashing.
How many more big cities are like this or teetering on the edge of what Detroit has become? D.C., Baltimore and there a lot of others.
BTW, I have several Black friends and NONE of them are liberal nor will they be voting for Obama. Most of them are like me, very lower middle class and on the edge every month financially. Not of of these people expects anyone to take care of them or their families.Two have family in Detroit and they refuse to go visit them there.
Houston, too. Was there in Jan ’07 and a passenger in a car that got rear-ended. Cop who showed up was in an unmarked unit that was dirty and not in the best shape. Overweight, his uniform wasn’t great either– wore an NFL stocking cap and otherwise bundled up improperly because it was just so firigid cold there (mid-50s F). Handwriting looked like a 3rd Grader’s while filling out the accident report and couldn’t spell my name right copying off my driver’s license. I pointed out how my name’s spelled so his report’s straight and he puts his hand on his weapon and goes “Are you sassing me?” (Black dude, you guessed by now, right?) Not impressed by the Houston PD.
Wasn’t even depicted as this bad in Robocop…
Maybe this would help Detroit:
This is an absolute load of CRAP! I live here… I know what it is like. YES, there are areas that are dangerous but NO it is NOT how this article is portraying it. I find it offensive that such an article is written while it appears those who write it have never really been here to see the real deal. There have been budget cuts, there have been disputes in the city over various things due to the previous administration (Kwame) and the corruptness that came from all that. Corruption on the city councel and corruption on the part of the police chief (who had an affair with the mayor)… it was so deplorable and a shame to our nation.
As for stats, the most recent stat I seen was that Detroit was number TWO in the nation, NOT number one! Not a big difference but it’s worth noting!
As for police officers quitting due to their pay rates, some may be quitting. But budgets need to be changed and altered. If they are truly on the police force, they are there because they believe in this city and the return of this great city. I dont believe being an officer, or a firemen or anyone in a public office requires a certain pay rate, but rather heart that believes in what you are doing. YES, I know there is a family to feed, and a roof to keep over the head, but I don’t believe this is the general concensus of the police force that they feel the way this article is saying.
What I find the most discouraging of this article, is that it is totally forgotten, that this is a city that needs God. This is a city that needs to find Jesus. These are people who are just like you, just like me. They have come on hard times as the auto industry has faltered and failed in some aspects. These are people who are trying to just get by. But at the end of the day, they are just like the rest of us. Some make good choices, some make poor choices. But it is our duty as Christians to reach out to them with the love of Christ and let them know THEY ARE NOT ALONE! What is the worst thing when someone is down, is to kick them or lend them a hand to get up? Let’s not pass judgement on the city but rather PRAY for the city, REACH out to the city, REACH IN to the city and extend a hand to these lives and hearts for Jesus. That is the root of it all. If we want healing and restoration for a city that has fallen on it’s knees broken….. let’s get on our knees and join them in prayer, not judgement!
Melissa,
You are full of CRAP. If you take issue with this post, you should take the matter up with CBS Detroit, because DCG’s post republished CBS Detroit’s article. As for the rest of DCG’s post, she quoted factual information from Wikipedia’s entry on Detroit and from Traveler’s Guide to the Firearm Laws in the Fifty State. Are you disputing those facts? In other words, YOU are the one making unfounded “judgments” and accusations.
Since you live in or near Warren, MI, which is only 21 minutes by car north of Detroit, MI, I’m assuming you’ll be in Detroit this weekend to “extend a hand to these lives and hearts for Jesus.” I can’t accompany you because I live on the west coast, but I’ll be cheering you on. Do come back to FOTM and report back to us how you fare!
Better call CBS Detroit and complain to them then.
If I can only re-post an article about a city after I visit it, I wouldn’t be able to write much. I have a job that keeps me pretty busy and can’t afford to travel across this great nation.
Let us know how your reach-out to those in Detroit goes.