Detroit Mayor Dave Bing is joining with most of the top law enforcement officials in the state in a call for city residents to provide more information about gun crimes.
Officials including Mayor Bing, the state Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney for Eastern Michigan and the special agent in charge of the FBI in the region all had a single message for Detroiters.
We can’t arrest our way out of the recent rash of shootings in the city.
Instead the officials say Detroiters need to serve as the eyes and ears of law enforcement, providing tips on potential threats and possible suspects.
Bing says that will do far more to stop gun violence than any increase in the actual number of police patrols in the city.
BING: “And even if we had the funding to do that, another one thousand police officers are not gonna stop some of the crime that goes on.”
There are some steps law enforcement is taking.
That includes focusing police resources in areas where students and seniors could be vulnerable, prosecuting those who use guns under federal law, where penalties are often far more severe than under state statutes, and instituting another gun buy-back program at the end of October.
