Detroit Police Crime Lab scandal and Crime Rate
Today's Detroit Free Press reported that the Detroit Police Department's former crime lab was left unsecured with evidence and files open to the elements. This spurred the following letter. E-mail to the Detroit Free Press on May 27, 2011.
Dear Editor:
How about a little outrage over the latest FBI crime statistics? Our City once again leads the nation in crime. And it's not even close. Our murder rate, for example, is 500% greater than the rate in Los Angeles. It's time to seriously challenge the willingness and capability of the Detroit Police Department to fulfill its stated mission of protecting and serving our City. The latest example of incompetence comes from the disgraceful and probably criminal failure to secure the former crime laboratory on Brush St. Which, by the way, was closed because of incompetence in ballistics testing.
The parallels between the failures of the Detroit Public Schools to educate and the Detroit Police Department to fight crime are striking indeed. Although both agencies have many well-meaning professional employees, the end results are similar: Detroit Public School students have the lowest test scores in the nation; Detroit has the highest crime rate.
A response to the failures of the Detroit Public Schools has been the creation of charter schools, that are run independently of the school system. Schools that do not show progress in meeting academic goals are being closed. Perhaps this same model of accountability and innovation can be applied to policing in Detroit. One innovation could be the merger of the Detroit Police Department with the Wayne County Sheriff's Department. It has been done in other cities, such as Miami and Indianapolis. Why not here? The fact that the Sheriff is elected brings instant accountability to policing. Another innovation would be the contracting of police services with the Wayne State University Police Department.
Finally, if the Mayor is serious about revitalizing our City, he should recruit a Police Chief that has a proven record of driving down crime rates. William Bratton, the former LAPD and NYPD chief comes to mind.
Thomas E. Page
Retired, Los Angeles Police Department
The philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once wrote that "Hell is other people." In the firm belief that Sartre was right, I will periodically identify those people who create Hell on earth! This designation is not a traditional award. It certainly is not an achievement; rather, it's a mischievement. It's not something that one strives for; nor is the designation won. By action or words or both, certain people deserve metaphorical, if not actual, eternal damnation. Enjoy.
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