Detroit Crime Commission

TO LESSEN THE BURDENS OF GOVERNMENT BY FACILITATING THE PROSECUTION OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY IN AREAS WHERE FUNDING IS INSUFFICIENT SUCH AS COMPLEX ORGANIZED CRIME INVESTIGATIONS. THE ORGANIZATION CONDUCTS RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATIONS, DISSEMINATES INFORMATION TO GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES AND THE PUBLIC, AND COORDINATES ACTIVITIES BETWEEN BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.

DURING 2021, THE DCC ACCOMPLISHED THIS MISSION THROUGH A VARIETY OF UNIQUE INITIATIVES. THESE INITIATIVES CAN BE SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS:THE DCC CURRENTLY HAS TEN (10) DISTINCT MISSIONS/INITIATIVES, WHICH ARE ALL DESIGNED TO FILL GAPS IN OUR PUBLIC SAFETY NET. MOST ARE THE RESULT OF PUBLIC SAFETY REQUESTS, SPECIFICALLY, REQUESTS THAT PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES (POLICE AND FIRE) CANNOT DO FOR THEMSELVES DUE TO LACK OF FUNDING, EXPERTISE, OR INFLEXIBLE BUREAUCRACIES. HOWEVER, NOT ALL TEN DCC MISSIONS/INITIATIVES ARE ON AT THE SAME TIME. OF THE DCC MISSIONS/INITIATIVES OPERATING CONSISTENTLY ARE; THREATIQ, DONE IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS, THREAT ASSESSMENTS ARE COMPLETED FOR WORLD-CLASS EVENTS, WHICH IF ATTACKED BY EXTREMISTS WOULD RESULT IN MASS CASUALTIES. ANOTHER INITIATIVE THAT IS ALWAYS ACTIVE (ON) IS OUR SAFEGUARD PROGRAM. IT IS THE TEMPORARY MOVEMENT AND RELOCATION OF WITNESSES OF VIOLENT CRIME. ALSO, ACTING AS THE FISCAL AGENT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IS ANOTHER INITIATIVE THAT RUNS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. TOGETHER, THEY REPRESENT ABOUT HALF OF THE DCC EFFORTS. STARTED IN 2012 AS ENOUGH SAID (ENOUGH SEXUAL ASSAULT IN DETROIT) THE NAME WAS CHANGED TO THE DETROIT RAPE KIT TASK FORCE AFTER THE MAJORITY OF RAPE KITS HAD BEEN TESTED. TO THIS DAY IT CONTINUES TO BE A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE WAYNE COUNTY PROSECUTORS OFFICE (WCPO) AND THE DETROIT POLICE DEPARTMENT (DPD) TO IDENTIFY AND ARREST RAPISTS WITH THE DCC ACTING AS FISCAL AGENT. AS OF SEPTEMBER 2021, THE TASK FORCE HAD COMPLETED 4,166 INVESTIGATIONS, WITH 92 AWAITING INVESTIGATION, AND 224 CONVICTIONS; MOST OF WHICH WERE SERIAL RAPISTS. THE DCC IS PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS EFFORT THAT BRINGS PEDOPHILES, RAPISTS, AND SERIAL RAPISTS TO JUSTICE. GANG IQ: IS ANOTHER ONE THE DCC'S MISSIONS/INITIATIVES THAT IS ALWAYS ON. IT IS ONE OF THE DCC'S SIGNATURE AND UNIQUE COMMITMENTS TO PUBLIC SAFETY BY USING INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS AND GRADUATE LEVEL ANALYTICAL SKILLS TO ASSIST LAW ENFORCEMENT TO IDENTIFY GANGS, THEIR STRUCTURE, AND ACTS OF CRIMINALITY. COSTS FOR THE SOFTWARE USED TO SUPPORT GANG IQ IS SECOND ONLY TO SALARIES. ITS CONTRIBUTION TO PUBLIC SAFETY, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, CANNOT BE OVERSTATED. THE EFFORT INCREASES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DETROIT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS DISTRICT POLICE DEPARTMENT THROUGH THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE FACE OF SHRINKING BUDGETS. ALTHOUGH THE DESCRIPTION IS SMALL, GANG IQ NOW REPRESENTS THE A QUARTER Y OF DCC ACTIVITIES. NEW BEGINNINGS INITIATIVE: NEW BEGINNINGS INITIATIVE IS AN OFFSHOOT OF GANGIQ AND FOCUSES ON THWARTING GANG RELATED VIOLENCE AND DISSOLVING THE GANG ORGANIZATION BY GIVING ITS LEADERS AND INFLUENCERS A NEW BEGINNING. THE PROCESS COMBINES RESEARCH (DATA HARVESTING) AND ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY GANG LEADERS AND INFLUENCERS WITH THE GOAL OF POINTING WILLING PARTICIPANTS TOWARDS COMMUNITY SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS THAT DELIVER SERVICES DESIGNED TO CREATE AN ALTERNATE FUTURE FOR GANG LEADERS AND TURNING SUCH MEMBERS INTO CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS OF SOCIETY. TO DATE, THE DCC AND ITS PARTNER ORGANIZATION KEEPING THEM ALIVE HAVE SHOWN NEARLY 50 GANG MEMBERS/INFLUENCERS A NEW BEGINNING. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC IN MARCH 2020, THIS PROGRAM WENT DORMANT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. HOWEVER, REPORTS OF INCREASED VIOLENCE VIA GANG IQ, KICK STARTED THE PROGRAM FOR A FEW MONTHS, BUT LACK OF FUNDING BROUGHT THE PROGRAM TO A HALT AGAIN. A NEW ROUND OF FUNDING APPROVED BY THE CITY OF DETROIT WILL HOPEFULLY GET THE INITIATIVE STARTED AGAIN. ANOTHER ON-GOING INITIATIVE, THE DCC'S ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING INITIATIVE: IN AN EFFORT TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THE DCC PARTNERS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PRIVATE ENTITIES TO INVESTIGATE POTENTIAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING RINGS AND ASSIST LAW ENFORCEMENT IN DISRUPTING THESE RINGS. THE DCC USES GRADUATE LEVEL ANALYSTS (MS) AND ADVANCED DATA GATHERING SOFTWARE TO CAPTURE "BACK PAGE" TYPE OF DATA FOR ANALYSIS. ANALYSTS ARE TRAINED TO LOOK FOR SIGNS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING TO INCLUDE PERSONS INVOLVED AND AREA OF OPERATION. TO DATE, THE DCC HAS REFERRED MORE THAN THREE DOZEN SUSPECTED HUMAN TRAFFICKING RINGS TO THE APPROPRIATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION. IN FACT, THE POLARIS PROJECT BELIEVES HUMAN TRAFFICKING (LABOR AND SEX) HAS CONTINUED DESPITE THE PANDEMIC. THE DCC HAS MODIFIED ITS EFFORTS TO FOCUS ON PREVENTIONAND AWARENESS WITH REGARD TO GROOMING, AS A RESULT OF THE SOFTWARE IDENTIFYING MORESEX WORKERS AS OPPOSED TO POTENTIAL VICTIMS