Detroit Leaders Report Successful Anti-Arson Campaign
DETROIT (WWJ) - The numbers are in for the city of Detroit's Angels Night anti-arson campaign -- with 93 fires reported over the three-night period.
That's one less fire than last year; many occurring in vacant houses and other empty buildings. Detroit Fire Commissioner Don Austin said about 66 percent of those fires were arson.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing called the annual community campaign a success, giving credit to volunteers and, reluctantly, the weather.
"Without these people ... the weather may have had some impact, but it's all about people coming together, working together, and that's what I appreciate," Bing said. "We can't control the weather but we can control what we do."
Detroit police say they detained 50 minors for violating curfew and 23 were ticketed.
The Angel's Night volunteer campaign was created in response to the violence and arson that plagued the city for years on the night before Halloween, previously known as Devils' Night, when residents of Detroit were known to cause mischief and vandalism.
