'One Detroit' initiative announced to help prevent violent crime

Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read
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Federal and local law enforcement, along with a group of community leaders, announced on Wednesday a partnership to combat and prevent violent crime in Detroit.

The initiative, dubbed "One Detroit," builds off existing partnerships and brings more community members to the table with the goal of balancing enforcement, prevention and outreach, according to Dawn Ison, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.

"One Detroit seeks to disrupt violence in our neighborhoods by focusing law enforcement resources on the drivers of violent crime, supporting community-based solutions to prevent crime, and ensuring that individuals returning from prison have sufficient supports to take full advantage of their second chances," Ison said.

U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison with other metro Detroit law enforcement officials announced a new initiative to combat and prevent violent crime on Wednesday, April 19. The new effort, dubbed "One Detroit," will incorporate lessons learned from a previous effort called "Detroit One."
U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison with other metro Detroit law enforcement officials announced a new initiative to combat and prevent violent crime on Wednesday, April 19. The new effort, dubbed "One Detroit," will incorporate lessons learned from a previous effort called "Detroit One."

Ison said One Detroit plans on utilizing evidence-based prevention strategies used in other cities like Flint, Saginaw, and Jackson. Little detail was provided on what those strategies entail, but Ison mentioned summer enforcement teams, community events, job trainings and blight elimination.

“What makes this different, we’re not soft on crime, we’re smarter on crime," Ison said. "We will not stop."

One Detroit will be tracking its strategies' impacts on crime statistics, neighborhoods and perceptions in the community, Ison said.

One Detroit's law enforcement partners include Ison, Detroit Police Chief James White, and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, along with representatives for: the Michigan Department of Corrections; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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Community partners include Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Alvin Stokes of Citywide Citizens Police Community Relations, Ceasefire Detroit, Kenyatta Stephens of Black Family Development, Detroit Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, Bishop Edgar Vann II of Second Ebenezer Church and Michigan State University.

Law enforcement agencies involved are prepared to enforce the law, Ison said, but they also hope to prevent violent crime by building trust in the community and providing at-risk individuals with services and resources.

One Detroit incorporates lessons learned from a previous initiative established 10 years ago called "Detroit One."

"One Detroit, like the earlier effort, includes aggressive investigation and prosecution of the relatively small number of individuals responsible for the most violence," Ison's office wrote in a news release.

"But the One Detroit partners recognize that violence must be prevented and not just punished. And so, the One Detroit partners will also develop and foster meaningful community relationships, promote prevention and intervention programs, and emphasize prisoner reentry programs that involve the community."

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Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at 313-264-0442, asahouri@freepress.com or on Twitter @andreamsahouri.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 'One Detroit' initiative announced to help prevent violent crime