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The Michigan Messenger going forward

By Staff Report | 11.16.11

I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]

Colorado-based abstinence program provided false and misleading information to Michigan students

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.16.11

An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.

Class action lawsuit filed against MERS over unpaid taxes

foreclosure
By Todd A. Heywood | 11.15.11

Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.

Schuette fights important mercury regulations

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By Eartha Jane Melzer | 11.14.11

Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.

Detroit needs 500 new police but recruiting is ‘stymied’

By Minehaha Forman | 04.21.08 | 9:48 pm

The Detroit Police Department (DPD) wants to hire 500 new officers but is having trouble meeting recruitment goals, according to 2nd Deputy Chief James Tate, head of the police department’s public information office.

The recruitment effort, which was put into effect in June last year, has been stunted by the meager advertising budget and a lack of interest among qualified young people.

“Our numbers are down. There’s been a moving away from police positions […] possibly due to pop culture,” Tate said. “If you look around the country, the same thing is happening.” Many components of pop culture including movies, music, video games carry an anti-police sentiment. 

Tate said the DPD feels the lack of interest in police positions worse because of unfavorable Michigan winters and not enough money in the budget to promote the recruitment effort or to entice new hires with bonuses.

“Some warmer cities come to the Midwest to recruit officers,” Tate said, “It’s a fairly common practice now.”

Tate believes a lot of young people are more interested in high-profile, higher-paying jobs in the private sector. “You don’t join the police for the money. You do it because you want to help people,” he said.

The problem is not just hiring new officers; it’s keeping the officers the department already has. The DPD has lost 1,000 officers over the past five years, according to Tate. Today, there are 3,000 police officers in Detroit.

Since the ambitious recruitment effort began last June, only 26 new officers have been added to the police department. Tate said the low number is partially due to the six months it takes to graduate from the police academy.

“There is rigorous testing, this is not something we take lightly,” Tate said. “A large number show interest but are not filling the requirements for various reasons.”

Continued – From June through October last year, there had not been enough officers hired to put a class together at the academy because a significant number of applicants did not meet basic requirements, including the initial drug screening, the written exam and the physical exam. Tate said it takes 25-30 students to make a class.

There is no deadline to get 500 officers. According to Tate, it’s a moving target. He said that 500 is just the number of positions that need to be filled at the moment, and that number is constantly changing. “As we hire, there are always people leaving,” Tate said. “When we lose officers through attrition, we have to do something to beef up the department.”

Police officers leave for many reasons, including budget restrictions, relocating to warmer cities or switching to work for the private sector, according to a survey conducted by Police Chief magazine.

Another reason Detroit may be having trouble finding officers is the city’s reputation for high crime rates. While annual Detroit homicide rates have been on an overall decline since 1988, there was a 16 percent increase between 2005 and 2006 according to a report published by Wayne State University’s Center for Urban Studies. The sharp population decline may have something to do with it.  A total of 104,354 residents left Detroit between 2000 and 2007 bringing the crime rate up from 40 to 48 murders per 100,000 residents.

“These are tough times. With the economy and everything, people are getting desperate,” said a Detroit police officer who did not want his name published. “When I first started five years ago it was fun. Now it’s a lot tougher, but I still love my job.”

Before new officers are allowed into squad cars, they first have to complete foot patrol in order to learn the city better and grow accustomed to their public. “It gives them the opportunity to see what it is like to be an officer in a non-confrontational environment,” Tate said. “They learn that the police […] are not just robots, they care, they have personalities.”

With its growing debt, the city has tightened its fiscal belt on many programs, but the police department is not one of them, according to Tate. “The police department is something we can’t cut back on,” he said.


Anyone interested in applying can contact the Detroit Police at (313) 596-2660 or visit the recruiting office at 14655 Dexter.

Comments

  • sicar

    I applied for a position in the DPD. in 08. I passed all Mcoles testing written and physical. I have a clean record, not even a parking ticket. I also have a Associates of Applied Science Law Enforcement. I was given a background investigator. After waiting four months I called her. Big mistake… I was told to stop calling. When I tried to explain it had been four months and I did not place any previous call's, I was basically called a liar. My Back ground investigator told me she had called me. I explained that was not the case and that I have been waiting to continue in the process. I never heard back until I called back in six month's when my MCOLES physical was ready to expire and found out my file was reassigned. I only heard back when my physical had expired. At that point I was so disgusted by the lack of professionalism I decided to put myself through a private academy. My point is I was qualified in every way,, but still was not allowed to serve the people of Detroit. Why, I do not know.

    • anonymous54321

      Yep, they are VERY rude and unprofessional. They treat their applicants like rodents. I have been in the application process with other departments and NEVER been treated like that by any of them.

      I can also tell you that once you get hired, they don't treat you much better. If your lucky enough to a have a professional supervisor on your shift consider yourself lucky.

  • anonymous54321

    Yep, Detroit Police Recruiting is EXTREMELY unprofessional and rude. I have never had such a negative experience with any other city/agency.

    I work for the Detroit Police Department and I can tell you that the department doesn't treat it's officers much better either. If you have a professional supervisor on your shift that sticks up for his/her troops and doesn't treat you like an insect, consider yourself lucky. The promotional process is also racially motivated. (anti-white) Good Luck

  • detroit313east

    I also applied with the DPD, in 2002 and it's now 2010. My background investigator came into the room where I was about to prepare for my 1/2 mile run and said loud enough for another candidate to hear she said ” as soon as you fail come see me so I can close your file”. I passed the entire test and returned to her, she avoided me, and said I will call you, don't call me. Well six months later after I continue to call her, I was told that she had been on vacation, my results were expired, and that my file was closed several months prior, they didn't think I was interested in the job offer anymore. I found her to be very rude and unprofessional. I spent money getting all the information that they requested, I missed work, and school only to be told to basically give it up.

    I was born and raised right here in the city, yes I had a few parking and speeding tickets, and even had my license suspended but all of that was paid for and taken care of. I had not been arrested ever and I won't be either. I don't want to work for the money, I want to work for the citizens.

    Many people know whats it's like to have people shot in front your house, being robbed, or witnessing a horrible murder, and when the police is called, they show up days later, if they show.

    I figure if me and a group of my friends join the DPD force maybe we can help change the way the citizens and the world view Detroit. But if there are going to be investigators and officers like Jackie Steward there won't be anyone to hire.

    So as a result, my group of friends (there were 25 of us from R.O.T.C.) went to Macomb County, graduated, and now are working. Yet 8 years later I still got faith in GOD to hire me into this corrupt city to help turn things around…it's sad that one bad apple spoils the bunch!! Many have lost faith and hope in the DPD force, not me I have faith in GOD that one day I will be the one to help make a difference. It only takes one officer to do his/her job to make a difference in how people view them as a whole.

  • eltemblo

    hey good comment i also applied for dpd 2 weeks ago any advice on process

  • eltemblo

    hey good comment i also applied for dpd 2 weeks ago any advice on process

  • Ctrey

    I applied dec. 09 crystal clean record. Bachelors of Business Management from Eastern Michigan. Body build and run for enjoyment. Applied to avail. tried to follow up and was treated with the most rude and unprofessional behavior I have ever witnessed at an institution. I am exceptionally qualified and willing and they are just not hiring like they should!

  • http://twitter.com/El313 El DeShields

    I've seen it and I myself can say if you want in DPD with no problems then you need to know the right ppl and I am blessed that not only do I know ppl with pull but I am also related to a Chief (wont say who or what kind of chief), and a high ranking Secret Service Officer (who was a well liked protection officer for Mayor Archer). I have been asked to join and turned it down due to my current health but I have a close friend that I hooked up and in less then a years time he's on the streets so it goes to show it pays to know ppl.

  • Anonymous

    you guys saying how qualified you are and cant get hired…..i had two misdemeanors and a g.e.d almost average credit score and got hired. sometimes they look for a person with good character over your degree. anyone can obtain a degree but how much of a mouth piece you have to sell your paperwork. and some of you go down there with cocky attitudes away. we smell trouble as soon as some of you shows up….

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YNGYVMHSN73CTSMIIZT2RT7TFA larry

    I’ve applied three different times to DPD. Three! I am a white male that grew up in the City Airport area and still brag about growing up in the City. My last app. was spring of 08. I flew in from Florida to take my physical agility test and aced it. I was 44 years old at the time. My written MCOLES is still A band. I made 1 mistake on my job interest card and wasn’t informed until AFTER I had passed the DPD computer test in 45 minutes, the agility test, and the interview prior to background. I do believe, in my heart, that because I am white, male, 44 at the time, and have a few tattoos that can be hidden, I was refused for hire. How many of the current members of DPD can say they aced the MCOLES, don’t have any felonies, and would have took this job for the right reasons can say this? It is disappointing that a man gets overlooked for such insignificant reasons. I was told to NOT re-apply. It’s no wonder the City is a shit hole.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YNGYVMHSN73CTSMIIZT2RT7TFA larry

    By the way, I have no college degree, catholic raised, and am NOT prejudiced. I lived in the city until 1990, when I got married. I worked for the city in the 80′s and thought that may have been a help.

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