Mayor: Carjacking incidents in Detroit are down 71% since 2015
"Carjackings in Detroit are down 71% since 2015," said Mayor Mike Duggan in a Saturday social media post.
He said that a decade ago the city saw 10 carjackings – crimes where people steal cars while people are in them – every week. Now, they are down to under three per week, Duggan added.
What happened in between was the rollout Project Green Light Detroit. That initiative began in early 2016, as a partnership between the Detroit Police Department and eight gas stations that installed real-time camera connections with police headquarters.
"This project is the first public-private-community partnership of its kind, blending a mix of real-time crime-fighting and community policing aimed at improving neighborhood safety, promoting the revitalization and growth of local businesses, and strengthening DPD's efforts to deter, identify, and solve crime," according to the city website.
Duggan thanked the city business partners in his post.
"This is a stronger, safer Detroit in action," he said.
Still, some carjackings continue to be reported in the city. Just last month, WWJ Newsradio 950 reported on a shooting related to an investigation into alleged serial carjackers. Charlie Langton reported that the Detroit Police Auto Theft Taskforce witnessed an attempted carjacking and that seven people were in custody in connection to a rash of the crimes.
