Detroit police Chief James Craig says homicides hit 50-year low in 2018

Craig discusses crime stats from 2018 in Detroit

DETROIT – Detroit police Chief James Craig said the numbers speak for themselves -- crime in the city was down in 2018.

According to the Detroit Police Department, violent crime was down 2 percent, robberies were down 13 percent and overall crime was down 8 percent.

Homicides were down 2 percent, reaching a 50-year low, according to Craig.

During a press conference Wednesday, Craig said Detroit police are working in different ways to reduce crime. He said the department is working well with other agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, to get violent criminals off the street.

Craig said an understaffed prosecutor's office is a major problem, though.

"We here in Detroit have more homicide suspects not in custody, and as oftentimes I like to say, these individuals are not Boy Scouts," Craig said. "These generally are the shooters. They are the ones who aren't going to idly sit by and continue to commit crimes."

Craig said that's the bad news in what he considers a lot of good news in the 2018 crime statistics.

With overall crime down, Craig said he's getting help from a program called Project Cease Fire, an intervention program for crime victims or gang members likely to retaliate.

Chief Keith Bennett, director of the Flip the Script program through Goodwill, believes it is making a huge difference.

"There's a transformation in how police look at offenders or possible offenders," Bennett said. "We've done it in a number of ways, as well as engaging those young men while they are police as human beings."

Auto thefts are down 27 percent year to year, Craig said, and he believes this should matter in Lansing with insurance rates.

"We've almost cut auto theft in half, so yes, it's time for a change," Craig said.

The most alarming rise in reported crime is rape. Craig said police have changed the way they record reported rapes, assuming rape when one is alleged and then removing it if the evidence doesn't point in that direction.

Craig said he's unsure if rapes are up drastically.

You can watch the full press conference below.


About the Authors:

Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Plannerâ„¢ Professional.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.