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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Instead of the State helping with more officers, they keep sending in more State Police. Well the State Police made a grand stand effort of a helicopter and more state troopers. This is what occurred within 24 hours:
Push to put more cops on streets as Flint death toll climbs
Flint Police respond to a fatal shooting scene early Saturday morning, August 8, 2015, on the 100 block of West Dartmouth Street in Flint, Michigan. Danny Miller | MLive.com
Danny Miller | dmille17@mlive.com
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By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on August 08, 2015 at 3:29 PM, updated August 08, 2015 at 5:34 PM
FLINT, MI -- Michigan State Police are adding patrols to Flint and Mayor Dayne Walling says he will propose adding officers to the Flint Police Department as the death toll on city streets continues to climb.
Two homicides overnight pushed the number of slayings in Flint this year to 31, surpassing the number recorded in all of 2014.
A relatively quiet summer has been shattered with seven homicides since last Friday.
"I will be bringing forward options to the City Council on how the current budget could be amended to add additional police personnel by looking at the general fund and millage funds ... given the spike in gun violence," Walling said today.
"I believe the city needs to put extra levels of support behind the Flint Police Department as it continues to work with state and federal police agencies," the mayor said.
Walling's push for additional police comes on the same day that an MSP official said the agency would step up its presence in Flint following today's homicides, part of a rash of violence that has left seven shooting victims dead and others injured in eight days in the city.
The MSP plan includes use of the state police helicopter over the city every night, an additional K-9 unit and an increase in the number of troopers in the area.
"We went almost six weeks without a homicide and the recent violence is unacceptable," said MSP Lt. David Kaiser, who said the changes will stay in effect until the violence subsides.
"(The move) is all in response to the recent violence -- the recent homicides," Kaiser said. "We're not turning our head to the uptick in violence that's happening in the city."
The stepped-up efforts come on top of state police detectives, crime lab and accident reconstruction teams, which are working in a joint partnership with Flint police as part of a Major Case Unit to investigate murders in the city.
Flint Councilman Kerry Nelson, who represents the city's 3rd Ward, where one of today's shootings took place, said he's in support of any effort to increase the presence of police on the streets.
"We need to have more police visible," Nelson said. "That tends to tell people -- I better be on my best behavior."
Nelson said patrols would discourage large gatherings on city streets, which he said creates the potential for old grudges to reignite or arguments to spiral out of control.
"If the mayor brings (a proposal) I would probably be the first one to say yes," the councilman said. "There's one thing I would welcome, and that's more police."
Current and former Flint residents said today they are working in their own ways to help prevent the type of violence that has hit the city hard in recent days.
Ronnie Russell, 59, helped to organize a community picnic today at Hardenbrook Park, just a few blocks from the site of the shooting on Dartmouth.
"We're trying to get the neighbors to know each other -- love each other," said Russell, part of the Flint Northern Alumni Association, which put on the picnic and adopted the park. "Kids have got to have somewhere to come and play.
"I believe if you give a child somewhere to play you can teach them a whole lot ...," he said. Without that, "kids don't have nothing to do."
Barbie Biggs, who has helped organize three Stop the Violence rallies in Flint this summer, said the rash of shootings show how deep the city's problems are and how much work needs to be done.
"I am into education, peace and teaching ... not just for the young people but the parents," Biggs said. "There's so much hatred ... people feeling stifled and stuck where they are.
"It's not just people going out and killing each other. There is a deeper root," she said.
Walling said he will meet with council leaders "as quickly as possible" to discuss options for bulking up police.
"It may require a budget amendment," he said.
The mayor said he will continue to advocate to restrict "illegal guns from getting into the hands of criminals and for closing the gun-show loophole and improving the background check (system) -- steps that should have happened long ago."
"Guns don't take lives, but upset, dangerous individuals with guns have taken too many lives," he said.
Flint Journal reporter Roberto Acosta contributed to this report.
Police look for answers as Flint homicides match 2014 total |
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Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:18 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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One man hospitalized after shot in Flint during armed robbery
l
By Roberto Acosta | racosta1@mlive.com
Follow on Twitter
on August 09, 2015 at 4:00 PM, updated August 09, 2015 at 4:02 PM
FLINT, MI – A man was hospitalized after he was shot during an armed robbery as he walked in the area of Flushing Road and Eldorado Drive in Flint.
The victim told police he was traveling by foot around 8 p.m. Aug. 5 when approached by a black, two-door Chevy Monte Carlo with rust around the gas tank and letters "FR" written in red at the bottom of one of the doors.
He was shot in the arm at some point during the robbery and transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries, according to Flint police. No suspect information was available and there was no word of an arrest in connection with the case.
Anyone with information about the shooting incident may contact Flint police at 810-237-6800 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP (773-2587). |
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Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:24 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The headlines grab attention by stating 7 dead in 8 days, but what about the violence the media doesn't tell the citizens about. What about the wounded and not killed or the stabbings and the felony assaults? The media gives a deceptive view of just how bad things really are.
Walling came to my New Northern neighborhood the day before the election. I told jhim he would not get my vote because he would only put in more appointees like Donna Poplar and Greg Eason.
I challenged him on the lack of transparency in letting the citizens know about the HUD monitoring sysytem. I reminded him that I was at the council hearing when City Attorney Peter Bade told council that he had kept the loss of the Department of Energy grant from them and the public because he believed it was an attorney client issue.
I was appalled at the audacity of Walling when he stated these HUD issues were routinely discussed at council and the Flint Journal just didn't have a clue.
An attempt was made to break into my home and the neighbors van was broken into. He made an attempt to talk to another neighbor, but was reminded that a lack of security and interference from downtown organizations had sabotaged a minority business. The city was supportive of this trucking company moving into the old McDonalds dairy building but some downtown developers were not. Then the vandals moved in and repreatedly vandalized the building. The fire was the last straw and the business moved to a friendlier area south of Flint. |
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Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:35 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Rumors have floated repeatedly that the State Troopers were here because the officials did not trust the local police and their ties to community. However so far the troopers attempts at "Officer Friendly" have not garnered much success. An officer from the neighborhood he patrols, with ties and concern for the citizens, would be far more successful.
The State Police bragged that another effort of their's produced 6 weeks of less violence. I read Flint Police Operations and Genesee County Scanners every day and I don't remember this time they cite. Chalk that up to poor media coverage that simply shove these saccharin sweet news stories at us everyday and hope we think everything is fine. Sorry, we are living with the ambulances and police sirens, the petty crime and the more dangerous crimes. Give a police blotter that tells the truth. Do officials think more business will come with this unchecked crime? |
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Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:42 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| The Flint Police has a significant number of officers that are eligible to retire as their class was one of the largest in Flint history. Walling is playing polittics and going to council for money for more officers. At $15 an hour and payments into retirement and healthcare that will result in a salary approaching $8 an hour after taxes, who wants the job? Officers are jumping ship for better paying jobs elsewhere and about 10 to 15 may retire before years end, Walling's odds don't look good as the department has advertised these jobs for months with no takers. |
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Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:49 am |
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