Why are the jail cells empty?
Sheriff, prosecutor say crime isn't dropping but arrests by police are
Empty jail cells are normally something to celebrate, but Wayne County's top law enforcement officials say the hundreds of vacant jail beds are not because of a drop in crime or more reasonable sentencing. Floors of the downtown Detroit jail are empty because police are arresting fewer people accused of those crimes.
Altogether, three county jails that held about 2,500 prisoners a year ago now house 400 fewer inmates.
Altogether, three county jails that held about 2,500 prisoners a year ago now house 400 fewer inmates.
Sheriff Warren Evans said police are so slow to respond to some calls that the crimes never get reported. Prosecutor Kym Worthy was more blunt:
"We don't tell the truth about crime," she said.
Detroit has lost hundreds of sworn officers in recent years. The Police Department didn't respond to repeated requests for interviews with its top leaders, but it released preliminary statistics showing an overall decline in criminal activity this year, despite a 24% increase in homicides.
East-sider Joyce Betty, 56, isn't buying it.
Last February, a young assailant snatched Betty's purse, which contained $300 in cash, while she pumped gas at a Mack Avenue filling station. Surveillance cameras captured the crime on videotape, but police never responded.
LinkDetroit is a lost cause, write it of and call it a day. The movie "Escape From New York City" was evidently based on a true story of a future Detroit. Let's build the fence, and evacuate those worth saving. (no politicians!!!)
