More Cops on the Street is NOT the Answer

Letter to the Detroit News sent on October 9, 2012
Dear Editor:

"More cops on the street" is NOT the answer to our City's crime problem. 

Although I certainly support the deployment of additional police officers, I believe, as Councilman Gary Brown has said, that the Department currently has sufficient resources to aggressively combat crime. It's a fact that Detroit has more police officers per capita than many cities. What matters more than raw numbers of officers, is how, where, and when those officers are deployed, and what is expected of the officers.  The Data Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety, known as DDACTS, is an example of intelligent policing which identifies crime hot spots, and suggests simple strategies, including aggressive traffic enforcement, in response. The Detroit Police Department needs to evolve  from its reactive, 911 call-centered approach to a proactive style which recognizes that police can actually prevent crimes.

There are many qualified law enforcement professionals around the country who would embrace the challenge of leading Detroit's policing efforts.  The DPD needs a culture change. Promoting from within the Department is not the way to institute that change.  

Thomas E. Page