Detroit Police Make 43 Arrests In Raids On Drug Houses
DETROIT (WWJ) - As part of an ongoing crackdown on high-crime areas in Detroit, police raided 15 suspected drug houses on Thursday.
Police made 43 arrests, of which include 21 felonies and 22 misdemeanors, and seized prescription drugs during the raids, which took place just north of the New Center Area. Chief James Craig told WWJ Newsradio 950 that the raids were all a part of their fight against ongoing violence in the city.
"This is our way of taking back our neighborhoods. Certainly when you have locations where drugs are being sold, it's a nexus to violence. So when we shut a drug house down or a place where drugs are being used, certainly it helps our fight against abating violence. And we're going to continue to do that," he said.
Chief Craig said this raid is one of many that sends a clear message to criminals.
"Well, you know, we on average serve 35 narcotic warrants a week... 35. So, we're making a significant impact when we do it in a large-scale way like we're doing it here in this area, and certainly in southwest Detroit. The message is clear that we're not going to tolerate violence, we're not going to tolerate locations like this where drugs are being sold," he said.
With no crack cocaine or weapons immediately discovered, it prompted one reporter to ask if this could be considered a waste of resources.
Craig's response, "I don't think it's overboard. Would you suggest we do nothing, would you suggest when we have community complaints where narcotics are being sold that we look the other way?"
Meanwhile, one woman admitted to WWJ Newsradio 950 she was going to one of the homes to buy drugs.
"Told me to get down and drop my purse," she said.
And though it was a horrifying experience for her, she thinks it's a good thing that police are doing these raids.
"Yeah, of course, for kids, you know. You got little kids around here growing up," she said.
And when asked if she gets tired of the drug use and what comes along with it, her response:
"I'm tired of it. I'm 50 years old, I'm tired of it, yeah. But I'm manic, what can I say," she said.
After the large contingent of officers from several agencies raided a home on Pingree and 3rd Street in Detroit, Chief Craig had this to say to reporters:
"If we had had 40 degrees today like we were promised by your colleagues who do weather, I guarantee they would have been coming out of their homes, cheering like we've seen in other instances. But this should be a message to those who want to engage in crime -- we don't care if it's sunny or snowing, we're going to come."
The chief named the operation "Eye To Eye" in honor of radio personality Angelo Henderson who died Saturday. He was founder of the crime-fighting group Detroit 300.