Virtual Precincts Will Change The Way Some Crimes Are Reported
DETROIT (WWJ) - Some changes in the way crimes are reported to the Detroit Police Department, starting Monday. Police precincts in the city won't have as many staff on hand between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m., but you can still make a crime report over a phone in the precinct, according to Commander Todd Bettison.
"This is a model that is more service friendly to the citizens. It gets more police officers on the streets. I think that the most vivid example is when we heard from a citizen who said, "This makes so much more sense, that if my car is stolen, why do you tell me to come to the precinct when I have no way to get there?" So now we have a way to service citizens in a more expeditious way," said Bettison.
"The citizens in the community has been asking for years as far as 'we need more officers on the street from behind the desk' and that's exactly what we're doing with this telephone crime reporting unit and also virtual precinct," added Bettison.
Bettison asks that citizens only use 911 for emergencies and asks that they call a telephone crime reporting unit for lesser crimes.
Call (313) 267-4600 when there is no immediate threat to life, property or public safety.
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