YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Ypsilanti Police Department requests help from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department to investigate major crimes.
The Ypsilanti Police Department cites temporary capacity limitations for the assistance request that will be in effect for four months.
One of the goals is to improve response time which both departments say will result in crime prevention.
Violent crime remains an ongoing issue in Ypsilanti.
“The community has to play a part too, even the families of some of these young people,” said Washtenaw My Brother’s Keeper Director Jamall Bufford.
Bufford works to help Black and brown boys not only to survive but also reach their potential.
“It is definitely a challenge, but we are not alone in this,” Bufford said.
A Brighter Way, located in Ypsilanti, is tackling public safety from another angle.
The organization is working to reduce recidivism in Washtenaw County by offering mentoring and individualized wraparound services for the formerly incarcerated.
“We work with people to make sure they turn that lived experience, something that many people can only imagine themselves doing, into something that helps the next generation to not do it,” said A Brighter Way Executive Director Adam Grant.
He said providing opportunities and resources for the most vulnerable can make all the difference.
“If people’s quality of life is better, naturally, they will not return to prison,” Grant said.
