The City of Detroit Currently Has the Fewest Number of Police Officers

[TheVrist]

The city of Detroit currently has the fewest number of police officers patrolling the city streets since the 1920’s. The shrinking force isn’t due to a lack of crime either, its because the city simply cannot afford them.

The amount of officers on the force has been nearly cut in half since 2000, with 37% leaving the department in just the last three years. Last year, the department was losing between 30-35 officers a month.
Some precincts have reportedly been left with only one squad car on the streets at times. The police union representing the Detroit rank and file officers believes this presents a danger to both the police and the residents.

“This is a crisis, and the dam is going to break,” Mark Diaz, president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, told the Detroit News. “It’s a Catch-22: I know the city is broke, but we’re not going to be able to build up a tax base of residents and businesses until we can provide a safe environment for them.”

While the population was larger in Detroit in the 1920’s, it has seen heavy fluctuation over the past decade.
1920: 897 officers — population of 993,678
1930: 3,141 officers — population of 1,568,662
1950: 3,548 officers — population of 1,849,568
1970: 3,973 officers — population of 1,511,482
1990: 3,312 officers — population of 1,027,974
2000: 3,139 officers — population of 951,270
2015: 1,590 officers — population of 719,777

Currently, the citizen to officer ratio is at 448 to 1, the local CBS affiliate reported.


The city is currently looking to add approximately 480 more officers to the department, despite knowing that they cannot afford to pay the same rates other cities do. Starting pay for a police officer with the Detroit Police Department begins at only $14 an hour.

"When you factor in the pension and benefits they're paying for, they're bringing home roughly $8 per hour after taxes. It's difficult to be a Detroit cop and make ends meet. You can't blame them for leaving so they can feed their families." Craig told the Detroit News.

These officers do the most difficult job in the country, and they need to get paid more,” Chief James Craig told CBS. “It’s hard to keep people when other cities can offer so much more money.”

[rob666]

Wow, $14/hr to be a cop in Detroit? Fuck that

[TheVrist]

Originally Posted by rob666

Wow, $14/hr to be a cop in Detroit? Fuck that

Sadly, that pay rate is common all across America in metropolitan areas.

Starting average 25k to 30K, slightly more if you hire on with certain academics.

[Morbid75]

Yep my parents fled to the south from Detroit well before I was born and my grandparents about 12 years later. Now their old neighborhood is a drug riddled shit hole. I heard from relatives a block over from my grandparents old house they were pulling kids in to abandoned homes and raping them as they were walking to school. Detroit is a total shit hole.

BUT as a whole cops do not get paid enough for what they do. I mean really think about it. Kim Kardashian makes millions of dollars for doing NOTHING. Bruce/Caitlyn was probably paid thousands if not millions to tell his story while people who teach, protect, clean, serve get paid shit. It is not fair. I am going to start singing songs from Les Miserables or something

[commondenom]

Originally Posted by TheVrist

These officers do the most difficult job in the country,

fuck off cop.

[OhJstFkOffAlrdy]

Solution: ED-209.

[Oswald2001]

So...how dat Black CULTCHA woikin' out faya?

[Illusion]

Just to compare, a 1st Class Police Constable here earns a base salary of $92,433 and that's without any overtime or court appearances. Our mall cops get paid more than $14/hr.

[icheerthebull]

Originally Posted by morbid75

while people who teach, protect, clean, serve get paid shit. It is not fair. I am going to start singing songs from Les Miserables or something

Join us!!! can you hear the people sing, singing the songs of angry men, this is the music of the people who will not be slaves again!





They say how you treat your prisoners reflects upon your society but in most of the western world there is no need to take it that far. We just need to look at how we treat our hospital workers, teachers, firefighters in comparison to how we treat Saudi princes, russian oligarchs and multi national companys.

While Americas founding fathers may never have acted in accordance with the views they espoused, those views were to a degree flames of justice, that like the french revolution spread throughout the world.

Even from the mid 19thC to the early 20thC Americans were at the front of the fight for justice and fairness. Americans have contributed to rights won that are now enshrined in law accross seas. The eight hour day as a example. If it wasnt for the the inspiration of the likes of joe hill would maternity leave even exist in europe? probably but American 'patriots' should draw more pride in their (what many in the media would call) 'left wing' history.

I have a lot of family in America, Immigrants who have raised their familys in the US. They have been welcome just like the first of my family to go there 3 generations ago.

people will argue to the death a view they sometimes dont believe. I think healthcare is one of those things. There is nothing more patriotic then looking after your people. 'Pride', pride is looking after your fellow man above the exploiters who have no allegiance to anyone outside themselfs yet always seem to be getting 'wined and dined' by the people who tell you to hate your neighbour.

[TheVrist]

Both the left and right produce slaves to the system. This is 2015 why are we still using traditional policies that have failed societies for centuries is beyond me.