They have also budgeted for 6 new hires bringing the total to 222 officers
Warren, which has about 1/5 the population of Detroit employs the second-highest number of uniformed officers in Metro Detroit
Do they keep the community safe? For 2022, Warren
Cops spend most of their time on traffic patrol & minor complaints: not protecting communities In 2020, Warren PD made 3,032 arrests but issued over 17,000 traffic citations
And of 80,436 calls for service, only 7 5% were classified as Part A ("serious") crimes
So why do they need almost $50 million?
does Eastpointe's General Fund pay for?
49 96% of Eastpointe's General Fund goes to the police department
In 2021, Eastpointe spent $359 per capita on police The police budget is set to increase another $2M over the next four years
And how do police spend their time?
Patrolling for minor violations For every 1 arrest in Eastpointe, police issue 7 9 citations
Eastpointe
OtherDepartments
else could $11.6 million fund?
At $4.66M, Inkster's police budget is the smallest in our sample, but the police department still dominates the city budget.
30.4% $174
$452,700 of Inkster's General Fund goes to the police police spending per capita (2021) overtime & holiday pay budgeted for 2022
What are they doing with all that money? We don't know, because Inkster PD provides no citation or arrest data
But 1/2 of all criminal prosecutions in Michigan are for minor traffic offenses like driving with a suspended license Many of these offenses directly criminalize poverty and do nothing to improve public safety
There is no correlation between the number of police officers and crime rates
When the police try to stop crime with "proactive policing" of minor offenses, research shows that communities are destabilized and severe crime actually increases.
What else could $4 66 million fund?
Create 93 full-time jobs at $25/hr
Provide a $1000 child tax credit to 4,660 families
House 66 families in $70k homes
At 29 95%, Ferndale spends less of its General Fund on police than any other city in our sample
But the police department still takes up 70% more funding than the next largest department leaving critical community
In 2021 Ferndale spent $338 per capita on police What is all this money going toward?
Of the 18,504 calls to service received by Ferndale PD last year, only 8.7% were labeled high-priority (e g robbery, assault) The rest were civil matters & complaints, abandoned vehicles, etc
In 2020, Ferndale police arrested 528 people Of these, 35 involved the use of force
For comparison, Livonia police used force 34 times in 2019 but made 4,700 arrests
Why are Ferndale police more likely to use force?
Ferndale's population is 6 3% Black
But 59 5% of people arrested in Ferndale in 2020 were Black
This indicates that Ferndale is policing Black visitors to the city, mostly for minor infractions
48%
Royal Oak spends 45 8% of its General Fund on
Detroit, by comparison, spends 32% of its General Fund on police
OAK
In 2021, Royal Oak spent $333 per capita on police
The police budget has increased every year since 2017-18 By 2025-26, the projected police budget is $23 9M
But crime rates have been going down steadily since 2016
Where does all that money go?
Crime rates have declined, but traffic & ordinance violation tickets have not From 2011-2019, the Police Department issued between 14,00017,000 tickets per year
As the police budget continues to increase, police spend more time responding to situations that do not require an armed response
Are police keeping communities safe?
Over the past five years, for every 1 incidence of a crime, Royal Oak Police issued 4 97 violation tickets And the most common criminal charge? Disorderly Conduct
For every 1 traffic accident, police issued 5 07 traffic tickets
Punishing minor infractions does not protect the community
What could $21M fund instead?
GROSSE POINTES
Public Safety budget: $5 40M 33 2% of the General Fund
POINTE PARK
Public Safety budget: $7 44M 65.8% of the General Fund
POINTE SHORES
POINTE WOODS
All 5 Grosse Pointes have consolidated police + fire departments Officers are cross-trained to respond to both situations
All 5 Grosse Pointes have also made a Mutual Aid Agreement to support each other's emergencies
In February 2021, the NAACP of the Grosse Pointes & Harper Woods responded to an incident of anti-Black intimidation in Grosse Pointe Park by calling for more women and Black people on the force
Research shows that a more diverse police force does not reduce bias among police officers or the incidence of misconduct Looking at you, Detroit!
POPULATION (2019): 93,665
TOTAL POLICE BUDGET: $26.5M LIVONIA
What does Livonia's General Fund pay for?
2 out of 3 dollars in Livonia's General Fund are spent on police & fire
In 2021, Livonia spent $283 per capita on police
In 2021, Livonia PD budgeted
$2.69M for capital improvements.
$2.18M for overtime & holiday pay.
That's more than Warren spends, even though Warren's overall police budget is 84% larger than Livonia's
Do the police use this money to keep the community safe?
In 2019, Livonia PD made 4,700 arrests but issued over 30,000 minor citations.
OtherDepartments ArrestsCitations
60% of those arrested were Black. Livonia's population is less than 5% Black.
Who is Livonia policing?
Livonia spends $6M more on police than on parks, libraries, public works, the court, and downtown development – combined
What else could $26.5 million fund?
POPULATION (2019): 132,438
The police budget is going up -- not only in total expenses, but also in its share of the general fund
Every year since 2018, the police department has taken more and more of the city budget
In Fiscal Year 2021, Sterling Heights spent $284 per capita on police
In 2022, the police are budgeted to receive 34% of the city's General Fund -- more than 1 out of every 3 dollars
How could that money be better spent to increase community safety?
In 2022, Sterling Heights PD has budgeted
$887,000 for vehicles
$456,250 for body cams, weapons, armor, and radar
ArrestsTrafficCitations 0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 They have also budgeted 7 new hires for 2022 What is the justification for this increased militarization?
For every 1 arrest in the past 4 years, Sterling Heights PD issued 7 7 traffic citations
Sterling Heights has fewer arrests per capita than Warren, Livonia, and Dearborn
As calls to service increase and rates of violence do not, police spend more time punishing minor infractions than keeping communities safe
