Friday, January 5, 2024     |     www.detroitmi.gov

Detroit ends 2023 with fewest homicides in 57 years, double-digit drops in shootings and carjackings

Mayor Mike Duggan joined Chief of Police James White and other federal, state, county, and community leaders this week to announce the city of Detroit finished 2023 with 252 homicides, the fewest recorded since 1966. The city also saw a 16-percent reduction in nonfatal shootings and a 34-percent reduction in carjackings.

The total of 252 homicides in 2023 is below the 261 homicides recorded in 2018 and is the lowest since Detroit experienced 232 homicides in 1966.

While official 2023 numbers may change slightly as some ongoing investigations are concluded, preliminary data show that Detroit recorded the following numbers for those crimes:

Crime category                   2022                 2023                 % change +/-

Homicides                              309                   252                  -18.4 percent

Nonfatal Shootings               955                    804                  -15.8 percent

Carjackings                            251                   167                  -33.5 percent

The result came from a coordinated effort between the City of Detroit with government and community agencies.

Property owners can always view their property tax bill anytime online at detroitmi.gov/payproptax.

Both a property transfer affidavit and a taxpayer mailing dddress change form can be found at detroitmi.gov/assessor.

Food trucks, dry vendors and event businesses are invited to attend one of three outreach events hosted by the City of Detroit General Services Department’s (GSD) Parks and Recreation Division to learn how to take part in community events around Detroit, including Recreation events, Spirit and Hart Plazas, and City parks.

Interested parties can learn more by visiting the 2024 Opportunity in the D Outreach Presentation.

The GSD is launching onsite licensing at this year’s outreach for eligible food trucks and dry vendors. Please apply prior to your preferred outreach.

Interested parties can apply here: 2024 Licensed Vendor Application.

Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) bus drivers will see an immediate $3-per-hour wage increase under a new memorandum of understanding between the City and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26 announced this week by Mayor Mike Duggan, Interim Transit Director Michael Staley, Union President Schetrone Collier and local leaders.

The increase would bring starting pay for new drivers up to $19.15 per hour from the current rate of $16.15 per hour. Maximum pay for those working for DDOT for at least four years will jump to $25.61 per hour from the current cap of $22.61

The agreement also increases quarterly attendance bonus from $1,000 a quarter to $1,500 a quarter, for every driver who has no more than three unexcused absences per quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 76 percent of active drivers earned the attendance bonus.

The current collective bargaining agreement does not expire until July 1, 2025, but Mayor Duggan said he reopened the contract 18 months early to give the drivers a well-deserved raise.

30 new DDOT bus drivers earned their official operator badges this week. The City is looking to increase hiring of DDOT drivers in 2024.

In recent months, DDOT has significantly increased its hiring efforts, going from classes of 10-15 total new drivers at a time to classes of 30 or more.

This week, 30 new bus drivers received their official bus operator badges. Another 45 are expected to graduate in February.

The Department of Transportation currently has about 400 drivers with a goal of having 600 drivers on the road by the end of this year. Anyone interested in becoming a DDOT driver is encouraged to visit DDOT Employment.

Detroit Vs Everybody opens new location in District Detroit

After unexpectedly losing its flagship store location in Eastern Market last year, the city’s homegrown brand, Detroit Vs Everybody, has found a new home at 44 W. Columbia in the District Detroit.

During the holiday season, Mayor Duggan joined owner and founder Thomas Walker Jr. and local leaders to celebrate the grand opening of the new location.

Born and raised in Detroit, Walker created the Detroit Vs Everybody brand in 2012. Since then, the brand has expanded globally and became an instant icon of the city of Detroit.

The new District Detroit location will offer a full line of the company’s trademark apparel and accessories.

The City of Detroit’s Municipal Parking Department (MPD) changes to parking enforcement began this week. First, enforcement within four recently established Residential Parking Zones is currently taking place one at a time into February. Once enforcement begins in each zone, it will take place on a seven-days-per-week basis.

The addition of Sunday enforcement of parking safety violations – including blocking fire hydrants, alleys or driveways, began on January 2. Previously these violations were only enforced Monday through Saturday.  Metered street parking, however, will not be enforced on Sundays, when it will remain free.

Each neighborhood application was developed with guidance from the Municipal Parking Department and approved by City Council. Each zone was crafted to ensure continued support of commercial activity, while alleviating the inconvenience residents feel when they are unable to find parking near their home.

Details on each zone are available at ParkDetroit.us.

Detroit’s Jazz and Gospel legacy to be celebrated with ‘Too Hot To Handel’ 20th Anniversary

The City Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship (Detroit ACE) is partnering with Rackham Choir and Ralco Industries for the choir’s 20th anniversary performance of “Too Hot To Handel,” the jazz-soul-R&B-gospel reinterpretation of Handel’s “Messiah” at the Detroit Opera House.

The community events begin with a panel discussion “Mighty Sounds: The Legacy of Detroit’s Jazz and Gospel” at 3 p.m. on January 7. The event is free, but guests must RSVP at tinyurl.com/422s2msc.

The events continue at 11 a.m. on January 12 with a rehearsal that will give hundreds of Detroit students a chance to watch “Too Hot To Handel.”

The Handel performance itself begins at 7:30 p.m. on January 13 at the Detroit Opera House.

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