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| In recent months, body cameras have become a popular topic across the United States. Due to highly publicized reports of police brutality across the country, from Ferguson, MO to Dallas, TX, these devices have emerged as a way to promote accountability among law enforcement professionals. Supporters even argue that the cameras would give officers the ability to review and critique their performance in dangerous situations, allowing them to improve their safety techniques. Now, the Detroit Police Department appears to be putting these theories to the test.In an interview with the Detroit News on Tuesday, January 6, Police Chief James Craig said that volunteers from the department would be taking body cameras on a second test run. In April, 18 police officers and two supervisors took part in a 30-day pilot program. Craig called the first trial a success and announced that 30 officers would be taking part in a new trial. The test run is reportedly being planned by Mayor Mike Duggan in conjunction with the Detroit Police Department.
“The mayor is committed, as I am committed, to using them to enhance officer safety and have a positive impact on mitigating allegations of misconduct,” Craig told The Detroit News.”Body cameras can also enhance transparency with the community.” A representative for Mayor Duggan confirmed that he is interested in testing how body cameras would affect Detroit. However, the spokesman said that the test program is still in the early stages. Funding options are also reportedly being explored. The first trial program demonstrated at least one way body cameras might be used to help Detroit’s police officers. According to department officials, one of the officers who volunteered for the program was involved in an incident in which force was used to restrain a citizen. The volunteer’s body camera was later used to prove that the officer’s actions were justified. If instituted, body cameras could have a significant impact on the city’s crime levels: studies show that while crime rates in Detroit have dropped by as much as 16% over the course of 2014, the area is still ranked as one of the most violent urban environments in the U.S. Body cameras could become a vital tool, helping police collect evidence that could be used to prosecute a litany of offenses. |
Category: featured
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Police Chief Announces Second Trial of Body Cameras
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Detroit Police Reports Reveal Fewer Violent Crimes in 2014, but Problems Persist
According to data from the Detroit Police, the number of violent crimes in that city fell significantly in 2014. Most notably, homicides are likely at their lowest since 1967. In 2014, there were 300 murders in Detroit; that represents the lowest number since 2010, when there were 308.
Before that, Detroit saw 281 homicides in 1967, which was the year of the summer riots. However, the homicide rate was far lower based on the city’s 1.5 million residents; today, the population has decreased by more than half to about 688,000 residents.
The homicide rate per 100,000 residents has declined in recent years, however, from 55 per 100,000 residents in 2012 and 47.5 in 2013 to a rate of 42.9 in 2014.
Robberies also saw a significant decrease since 2013, dropping from 2,836 to 1,879 as of Dec. 22, when the crime statistics were released. Many of these robberies involve credit card thefts, with Visa cards, which account for 52% of all payment volume worldwide, likely representing the top card stolen.
Carjackings fell from 765 to 525 in the past year, representing a 32% decline as a subset of the robbery category.
Yet despite the sharp declines in many types of violent crime, Detroit is still one of the most violent cities in the United States, according to FBI statistics from November.
One recent case highlights the problems that Detroit residents face on a daily basis as police and U.S. Marshals search for a “person of interest” in a death now being ruled as a homicide.
Eighty-one-year-old Casey Wybenga, a restaurant owner who helps feed the needy in the Heartside district, was found dead at an America’s Best Inn motel in Walker on Tuesday, Dec. 30. The death was ruled natural at first, then suspicious after evidence arose that placed Matthew Brunn, 29, at the scene.
According to family members, Brunn, a parole absconder, was spotted driving Wybenga’s Ford station wagon/SUV the day before Wybenga’s body was discovered. Wybenga’s credit card had also been used after his death.
Brunn has had a history of criminal behavior, such as armed robbery and vehicle theft, since 2004. Police are currently seeking tips as to his whereabouts.
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Work-Related Death Tally in Michigan Should Prompt Internal Safety Reviews, Expert Advises
Most businesses attempt to balance their own safety responsibilities with expectations that employees will look out for themselves. But business owners have many incentives to prioritize safety in the workplace.
“Naturally you expect your employees (and yourself) to follow good safety practices in the workplace. That’s a given,” John Hall wrote for the Examiner Dec. 23. “Sadly, not everyone takes the time to understand the consequences of poor safety habits. Every year in Michigan, dozens of people lose their lives and many hundreds more are injured while on the job.”
On-the-job injuries and fatalities are also rising many places as the economy recovers and people re-enter the workforce, sometimes in high-risk jobs.
The long lists of safety requirements enacted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are at times seen as onerous or overly picky. OSHA requires, for example, that battery rooms be ventilated in certain ways so as to prevent hazards.
But the costs of workplace accidents are undeniable, both in tragic personal loss and in business expenses.
According to OSHA’s Michigan branch, 73 workers died in work-related accidents in 2014 (as of Dec. 22). Violations can also result in hefty fines for employers.
Stronger Reporting Standards
Hall, a small business expert, recommends that all businesses in the state prioritize safety as the new year approaches. “In light of this information [about fatal accidents in Michigan], it might be a good idea to review your business’ safety program and look for areas to improve,” he advises. Particular attention should be paid, he says, to areas that are commonly cited by OSHA.Federally, the most-cited violations recorded by OSHA fell into these top 10 categories in 2014: ladders; electrical, wiring methods; machine guarding; electrical, general requirements; fall protection; hazard communication GHS (globally harmonized system); scaffolding; respiratory protection; powered industrial trucks; and lockout/tagout.
Business owners should also know that starting Dec. 1, new OSHA reporting rules will go into effect: “Although most workplaces are far safer today than in the past, terrible accidents do occur, and the agency is implementing some broader reporting requirements for employers,” The Detroit News reported Dec. 8.
The requirements expand the list of injuries that employers with 10 or more employees must report to federal regulators, and requires that reports be made within eight hours of the incident in question. Any work-related hospitalization, amputation or eye loss must be reported within 24 hours. Under the old rules, employers were only required to report hospitalizations of multiple employees due to the same workplace accident or illness.
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Detroit Snow Removal Professionals Buying Extra Rock Salt in Preparation for Snowy Winter
Snow removal contractors all around Detroit are stockpiling road salt in anticipation of another severe winter, and prices are growing as supplies are dwindling.
“We were proactive this year in getting salt, so we ordered basically the same amount that we used last year, had that ordered and delivered in August — which is very early for us,” John Baker, the owner of Metro Detroit Landscaping, told the local CBS station. “Normally, we wouldn’t get it until November, but there was already a shortage going into this season. We didn’t want to be caught without having it for our customers.”
In an average winter, Baker uses about 1,000 tons of road salt. He’s purchased 1,500 tons for this year.
Baker said he was able to buy his salt from the Niagara Falls area in Canada. But other contractors throughout the Midwest are saying that they’ve needed to look as far abroad as Morocco and Egypt for their supplies.
In November, Michigan Live reported that the Michigan Department of Transportation was preparing for a road salt price increase of up to 46%. “If we use the same amount as last year, the total bill for salt could top $40 million,” said MDOT Director Kirk T. Steudle.
But he said that MDOT won’t be cutting back, since salt is an important safety measure for public roads.
Road Salt at Home
Homeowners may also be looking to salt to help manage snowy or icy paved areas at home. But experts warn that salt can seep into the soil and affect plants, trees and other vegetation. Elevated sodium levels can cause shorter roots and subsequent problems with nutrient absorption.If salt does get into planted areas, they’ll need extra care in the spring. “The winter’s damage can be seen in the spring. If you suspect rock salt has entered the soil near or around your plants, shrubs or trees, water the soil heavily in the spring to leach the salt out the soil,” June Fuerderer explained Dec. 21 in The Keene Sentinel.
Angie Hicks of Angie’s List suggested in a Dec. 19 article for the Detroit News that homeowners choose calcium magnesium acetate instead of rock salt (sodium chloride), since the former won’t cause toxic soil conditions. The downside, she notes, is that it can cost 10 times as much.
Hicks also laid out some snow removal tips. It’s important, she reminded homeowners, to use lightweight ergonomic snow shovels in order to decrease the risk of injury. Snow shovels should also be used to push, rather than lift, snow.
Given the risk that exertion can pose in cold weather, people in poor health should consider hiring plowing services instead, she recommends. Members on Angie’s List say they pay, on average, $64 per service or $424 annually.
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Two Michigan Men Charged in Nationwide Telemarketing Scam Involving Detroit Real Estate
Would you buy a house in Detroit for less than $20,000? Plenty of people would, which is exactly what a recent telemarketing scheme banked on.
Two Michigan residents and 14 people from other states were charged last month for a range of crimes associated with a real estate telemarketing scam. Operating out of call centers in Florida and New York, the scammers made calls to people across the country offering to sell them cheap houses in Detroit.
The telemarketers offered homes to their victims for between $7,500 and $15,000, claiming they were bank-owned homes with previous mortgages that were much higher than the selling price. The opposite was true: the scammers had purchased the homes for no more than $500 each.
Although landscaping can increase recovery value by 100%-200% at selling time, there was no reason these homes should have been valued as highly as the scammers were selling them for. In fact, they only made the neighborhoods where the homes were located worse.
“This nationwide telemarketing fraud not only caused millions of dollars in losses to victims of the scheme, but it also contributed to blight in Detroit neighborhoods,” U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade said in a statement. “Thousands of homes were left to fall into decay as a result of these individuals using Detroit real estate as a commodity to accomplish their fraud.”
None of the victims even moved into the homes, after all. Once investors purchased a house, the telemarketers fooled their buyers into thinking that the homes had been quickly resold at a much higher value. This caused the victims to invest in more houses with the hope of making a profit in the fictional Detroit home flipping market.
Naturally, that’s the point when the telemarketers mysteriously fell out of touch. The scammers used various aliases and changed the name of their company frequently to stay ahead of disgruntled victims and police.
Two Michigan residents are among 16 people charged in what the U.S. Attorney’s Office calls a nationwide fraudulent telemarketing scheme which focused on falsely inflated Detroit house values.
According to McQuade, the scammers got $20 million from over 290 victims across 46 states and sections of Canada. The Federal Bureau of Investigation seized $1 million while executing search and seizure warrants, but most victims have not recouped their losses.
Michigan natives Richard Pierce and Matthew Golden are facing charges including conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit international money laundering, and wire fraud.