A Day In The Life by Detroitblogger John

DPD’s daily crime report shines a light on the city’s violent side

For about a year now, the Detroit Police Department has done something it’s never done before — it sends out a daily report chronicling the previous day’s major crimes — the shootings, the stabbings, the carjackings, the armed robberies. It’s an ongoing narrative of the worst behavior of the city’s worst residents.

There’s not enough time or space to report all the incidents that, in Detroit, are considered comparatively minor — the burglaries (more than 7,900 so far this year by mid-July), the assaults (more than 15,000), the stolen cars (more than 6,500), the rapes (more than 520). And some violent incidents are left out entirely if a detective says he wants it kept quiet while it’s being investigated. 

What’s finally released, then, is an imperfect but revealing measure of the substance behind the city’s longstanding reputation for violence.

“It’s just to be transparent,” says Sgt. Eren Stephens, a spokeswoman for the department, of the daily reports. Chief Ralph Godbee, she says, “believes that if it helps the citizens help us fight crime, let’s put it out there.”

Each entry is its own brief story, written in cold, flat police jargon whose vagueness sometimes poses more questions than answers. A recent description of three suspects wanted in an early July shooting reads: “Suspect #1: Black male, wearing an orange shirt. Suspect #2: Black male. Suspect #3: Black male, armed.” Be on the lookout.

The vague language is deliberate, Stephens says. Sometimes an investigation is ongoing, and releasing too many details could compromise it. Sometimes the police don’t have more information because the victim won’t talk. Or can’t anymore. 

“It could be that they didn’t see anything, it could be that the individual was not available at the time to give the information, so a lot of times we just want to let the citizens know this is happening in that area, so be aware.”

And sometimes, the police run into the notorious street code that says snitching on a murder is almost worse than the murder itself. A report of a July 22 shooting notes that, “The victim has refused to cooperate at this time. The circumstances pertaining to this incident are unknown. Suspect: Unknown, possibly driving a vehicle.”