DETROIT – Police announced efforts Thursday to crackdown on gun violence in Detroit with a new two-day operation.
Interim Detroit police Chief James White announced Thursday Operation Restore Order “Enough is Enough,” a two-day initiative meant to reduce gun crimes in the city, officials said.
Throughout the course of Thursday and Friday, officials say more than 100 uniformed and plain-clothed officers will target specific areas on Detroit’s east and west sides in an effort to “purge the community of individuals who have outstanding warrants, participate in the sale of illegal narcotics, and/or possess illegal firearms.”
“We’re looking for probation and parole violators. We’re using search warrants which were gathered with probable cause. This is not about stop and frisk, absolutely not,” White said. “A number of teams have put together information on those who are wanted in this area. Those who are on parole and probation. Those who have violated parole and probation. Those who have outstanding felony warrants. Those who are known to carry illegal weapons and victimize our community. That’s what this is about.”
Detroit police said Thursday that homicides have increased by 16%, non-fatal shootings are up 22% and part 1 crimes -- like murder, robbery and sex offenses -- have increased by 14% as of June 21.
“The criminals need to make better decisions. I mean, that’s the bottom line. If you make a better decision, then you don’t have to deal with us,” White continued. “For the community, we support our community, our community supports us, and as I indicated, we are unapologetic about keeping our community safe. We’re going to do this work. This is what the police do.”
So far, as of 12:30 p.m. Thursday, officials say 28 arrests have been made, 11 firearms have been seized, three search warrants were executed, 284 vehicles were investigated, 21 vehicles were impounded, more than 400 ordinance violations were issued and an abundance of drugs have been seized.
The interim chief already has plans underway to help curb crime in the city by ramping up police presence on weekends, and cracking down harder on illegal drag racing and drifting under a new summer safety plan.
Read more about Detroit’s summer safety plan here.
The plans come as the city of Detroit experiences a rise in gun violence, though overall crime reportedly dropped in 2020 amid the pandemic.
Earlier this month, Detroit police Commissioner Willie Burton pleaded with visitors and residents of Greektown to stop the violence, following news of a large brawl that broke out in the neighborhood -- one of several to go viral this year.
Following the recent violence in Downtown Detroit, police decided to introduce a new plan that will include a zero tolerance policy for any type of illegal activity in Greektown. Officials were also considering shutting down some streets in Greektown to control the flow of people.
More: New plan to stop violence in Detroit’s Greektown neighborhood introduced