DETROIT — The nation's second-highest-ranking law enforcement official visited Detroit Tuesday to credit a federal task force with helping the city last year register its lowest number of homicides since 1966, and to discuss how to make crime-ridden neighborhoods safer.

Deputy U.S. Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Detroit Police Chief James White and Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison held a press conference in the city's Public Safety Headquarters, before privately meeting with other law enforcement officials and community stakeholders to discuss the One Detroit Violence Reduction Partnership, which launched last year.

"I’m here to listen and learn because the work of One Detroit is having a real impact, and it’s being felt in reduced levels of violent crime across this city," Monaco said.

The initiative involving law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Attorney's Office, Detroit Police and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, along with Detroit nonprofit Black Family Development and Second Ebenezer Church, aims to reduce violence by providing job training and other resources to non-violent offenders being released from prison, while ramping up enforcement of violent crimes.

The program also includes blight reduction, and events meant to foster trust between citizens and cops.

One Detroit in May launched the "Summer Surge" initiative that focused on Detroit's 8th and 9th Precincts, which typically record the city's highest number of violent crimes each year. The U.S. Attorney's Office said in September that from June 1 to Aug. 31, the 8th Precinct recorded a nearly 20% reduction in the targeted offenses, while there was an 11% drop in the 9th Precinct.

According to DPD, there were 252 homicides in the city last year, the lowest since 1966. Overall, violent crime in the city fell 1.6% from 2022-23, with carjackings dropping 33.5% to a level unseen since the term "carjacking" was coined by The Detroit News in 1991.

On Tuesday, Monaco praised the One Detroit initiative, which she said "is going after the most significant drivers of crime, especially gun crime, and violent repeat offenders, (while) fostering trust and earning legitimacy in the communities that we serve, (and) investing in community prevention programs. One Detroit brings together community members and law enforcement."

White said crime is lower than at any time during his 28 years with the police department, but said there's still work to do.

"Our historic crime reductions are basically due to the hard work of the men and women (on the police force), and our collaborations with our state, local and federal partners," White said. "But we're not celebrating; we're not declaring victory and saying we've solved crime in Detroit. Our communities are still way too violent."

Shelrita Wilson, who lives in the 9th Precinct area known as "The Red Zone," said her neighborhood has improved in the past year, "but it could be a little better."

"They put ShotSpotter on the block, and I can see a difference," Wilson said of the program that uses sensors to pick up the sounds of gunshots that are relayed it to police analysts. "But crime is still pretty bad around here."

An aspect of the One Detroit partnership is "Peacenics," events that officials described as "a collective gathering of the community and law enforcement where we shared in food, fellowship and fun in the name of peace."

Bettison said during both of last year's Peacenics events "it rained all day both days," but he said hundreds of people attended anyway. As part of the event, Bettison said he went "door-to-door" talking to residents and asking about their concerns.

"Folks will let you know about a lot of issues, like, 'Hey, you see that blight over there?'" said Bettison, who was at DPD for 27 years before being named Deputy Mayor. "Our primary focus is violent crime, but you still have to address those issues, too. We hit over 700 locations last year ... cleaning up areas. Blight gives the feeling of being unsafe."

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