REAL-TIME CLOSED CAPTIONING
PROVIDED BY U.S. CAPTIONING
COMPANY
2015 COMES TO A CLOSE WITH
BURSTS OF VIOLENCE LEADING THE
POLICE CHIEF TO SAY ENOUGH IS
ENOUGH.
CHIEF CRAIG IS HERE.
EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE TAKING
ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND
IMPORTANCE IN SOCIETY, BUT WHAT
IS ANYONE PREPARED TO DO ABOUT
IT.
TODAY IS SUNDAY, JANUARY 3RD,
2016 AND THIS IS FLASH POINT.
WELCOME TO FLASH POINT AND
WELCOME TO 2016, A VERY HAPPY
NEW YEAR, I'M GLAD YOU'RE WITH
US THIS MORNING.
NO ONE IS GOING TO TRY TO
CONVINCE YOU DETROIT ISN'T A
VIOLENT CITY WITH TOO MUCH
CRIME, BUT LOOKED LIKE 2015 WAS
GOING TO REPLICATE 2014 WHEN
MURDERS WERE DOWN TO THE LOWEST
NUMBERS IN 47 YEARS, BUT THEN A
SURGE OF VIOLENCE TILTED THINGS
AGAIN IN THE WRONG DIRECTION AND
SHOOTING OF 7-YEAR-OLD CHANEL
BERRY LED AN EXASPERATED POLICE
CHIEF TO STAND UP AND SAY, WHEN
IS ENOUGH ENOUGH?
ISIS KILLED FAR FEWER AMERICANS
THAN AMERICANS THEMSELVES, WELL,
IN THE ELECTION, THAT'S PRETTY
MUCH THE ANSWER TO CHIEF CRAIG'S
QUESTION.
WE'VE DECIDED THIS IS HOW IT IS
IN AMERICA IN THE EARLY 21ST
CENTURY.
CHIEF CRAIG IS HERE TO TALK
ABOUT THAT THIS MORNING.
WE'RE JOINED BY THE CHIEF
MEDICAL OFFICER,
MCINTYRE.
ARE WE GOING TO PUT MENTAL
HEALTH ON THE BURNER?
AND THE EXCITING PROJECTS BIG
AND SMALL ON DETROIT'S DRAWING
BOARD FOR THE NEW YEAR.
IT'S COMING UP THIS MORNING ON
FLASH POINT.
OVER THE COMING WEEKS YOU'RE
LIKELY GOING TO BE SEEING THE
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN FOR CRIME
FOR 2015 AND YOU PROBABLY DON'T
KNOW THE NUMBERS TO KNOW THAT
CRIME IS TOO HIGH IN OUR CITY.
SOME OF IT IS GROTESQUE
DIFFERENT WHEN A MOTHER KEPT HER
CHILDREN IN THE FREEZER.
AND TEN PEOPLE SHOT AT A CROWDED
BLOCK PARTY AFTER WHICH I MIGHT
ADD NO ONE CAME FORWARD TO HELP
POLICE FIGURE OUT WHO DONE IT.
AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, YOU WILLS A--
ALWAYS A PLEASURE BEING HERE.
Devin: I'M SURE WE'LL LOOK AT
STATISTICS.
WE WERE TALKING EARLIER, YOU'VE
GOT AN INTERESTING TAKE, YOU
CAN'T BE FOOLED.
THE MURDER NUMBERS AS WE LOOK AT
THEM NOW REALLY DON'T COMPARE TO
YEARS PAST.
YOU'VE GOT AN INTERESTING
THOUGHT ON WHY.
I TOOK A LOOK AT YEARS PAST
AND LOOKING AT THE 90'S WHEN
DETROIT HAD IN EXCESS OF 500
MURDERS.
AND 550-SOME YEARS, HIGH YEARS
AND LOOK AT CITIES LIKE LOS
ANGELES WHERE I WAS AT DURING
THAT SAME TIME PERIOD.
1100 MURDERS, AND NOW YOU LOOK
ACROSS THE NATION AND MURDERS
ARE REALLY TRENDING DOWN
EVERYWHERE.
AND NOW WE'RE SEEING A LITTLE
UPTICK, BUT COMPARED TO THE
ALREADY LOW NUMBERS, LOOK AT NEW
YORK.
NEW YORK HAS SEEN SOME UP TICKS,
BUT ALREADY CONSIDERED ONE OF
THE SAFEST BIG CITIES IN
AMERICA.
YOU'VE GOT AN INTERESTING
CAVEAT WHY SOME OF THE NUMBERS
ARE DOWN.
DEFINITELY, YOU'LL NEVER HEAR
A POLICE CHIEF OR POLICE
DEPARTMENT SAY THIS, WE'VE GOT
TO GIVE CREDIT IN PART TO THE
GREAT WORK BY OUR MEDICAL
PROFESSIONALS, THOSE ER ROOM
SURGEONS.
ADVANCEMENTS IN MEDS CAL
TECHNOLOGY, THERE WAS A TIME IN
THAT TIME PERIOD IN THE '90S,
THE 80S, IF A PERSON SUFFERED A
GUNSHOT WOUND TO THE HEAD,
LIKELIHOOD OF NOT SURVIVING
THAT, THAT'S NOT THE
Devin: SO PROBABLY MORE
ACCURATE TO LOOK AT SHOOTINGS
RATHER THAN MURDERS TO COMPARE.
WE TALK ABOUT SHOOTINGS, IN
MY VIEW ARE JUST AS CRITICAL AND
HOMICIDES.
THEY'RE NONSUCCESSFUL HOMICIDES.
UNSUCCESSFUL HOMICIDES.
Devin: YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
YOU LOOK AT OUR SHOOTINGS,
NONFATALITIES, WE'VE SEEN A
DECLINE, A STEADY DECLINE FROM
LAST YEAR.
WE SAW A LITTLE UP TICK THE
SECOND QUARTER OF THE YEAR.
THE THIRD QUARTER SOMEWHAT, AND
THEN WE STARTED TO TREND
DOWNWARD.
THE NUMBERS NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR
ME.
BOTH HOMICIDE AND WHILE WE
REPORTED OUT THE LOWEST NUMBER
OF HOMICIDES IN 47 YEARS, TOO
MANY.
Devin: IS IT BECAUSE WE HAVE
A MUCH MORE INTENSE MEDIA
SCRUTINY THAN WE USED TO HAVE.
SOCIAL MEDIA SPREADING THE WORD.
THERE IS VIDEO OF SO MUCH MORE
THAN THERE EVER WAS BEFORE, THAT
IT JUST FEELS MORE VIOLENT THAN
IT USED TO?
YOU KNOW, DEVIN, THAT'S A
GREAT POINT.
YOU KNOW, STATISTICS ARE
STATISTICS, I CAN WAVE THEM AND
SAY WE'VE HAD A 30% REDUCTION IN
ROBBERY UNTIL YOU'RE A VICTIM OF
A ROBBERY.
AND YOU FEEL--
THAT I'M A 100% VICTIM OF A
ROBBERY.
EXACTLY.
WHAT'S MORE TELLING IS WHAT I'M
TOLD IN THE COMMUNITY WHEN THE
COMMUNITY MEMBERS APPROACH ME,
PEOPLE VISITING FROM OTHER
PLACES LIKE OUR NEIGHBORS IN
CANADA AND THEY SAID, CHIEF, WE
FEEL SAFER.
THE CITY FEELS DIFFERENT.
TO ME THAT'S A BETTER GAUGE OF
WHERE WE'RE GOING THAN ME WAVING
NUMBERS AROUND.
Devin: THAT SAID, YOUR
EXASPERATION THE LAST COUPLE OF
DAYS WAS EVIDENT TO EVERYONE,
ESPECIALLY WE SAW THIS, THE ONLY
WAY TO DESCRIBE IT, MOST
SHOOTINGS, I THINK TO MOST OF US
ARE SENSELESS, AND I THINK IT'S
BASICALLY A DISPUTE, APPARENTLY
BETWEEN TWO OLD GIRLFRIENDS IS
WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT CAME DOWN
TO AND ENDED UP COSTING THE LIFE
OF ONE CHILD AND PROBABLY
FOREVER CHANGING THE LIFE OF
ANOTHER CHILD, AND YOU SAID,
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO SAY ENOUGH
IS ENOUGH?
WE'RE NOT APPARENTLY THERE YET.
WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT, DEVIN
AND I SAID IT IN MY REMARKS IN A
NEWS CONFERENCE, THIS IS NOT
ABOUT THE POLICE.
I MEAN, WE'RE JUST ONE COMPONENT
OF THIS BIG PICTURE.
IT IS REALLY ABOUT THE WE, ABOUT
THE US.
WHEN WE SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,
THAT'S WHEN CHANGE TAKES PLACE.
AND WE'RE NOT THERE YET.
BECAUSE ONE THING THAT I KNOW, I
WANT TO REFLECT BACK AND YOU
LOOK AT DETROIT, AND HAVING
THIS, THE MOST VIOLENT CITY IN
AMERICA, HAVE WE BECOME
DESENSITIZED.
HAVE WE BEGUN TO ACCEPT THAT
VIOLENCE HAPPENS IN DETROIT AND
IT'S OKAY?
I WILL TELL YOU THAT IS NOT THE
WAY LIFE SHOULD BE.
Devin: IN FACT, YOU'RE
ECHOING IN SOME WAYS, PRESIDENT
OBAMA'S THOUGHTS AFTER WHAT
HAPPENED IN CALIFORNIA, WHEN HE
SAID, YOU KNOW, THOUGHTS AND
PRAYERS ARE FINE, BUT IF THAT'S
THE EXTENT OF WHAT YOU'RE
WILLING TO DO THEN YOU'RE SAYING
THIS IS -- THIS IS LIFE, THIS IS
WHAT WE'RE WILLING TO ACCEPT.
WE SHOULD NEVER ACCEPT.
THAT'S WHY IT CAME OUT VOCAL
ABOUT THE CRIME OF CARJACKING.
IN MOST PLACES, OTHER BIG
CITIES, IT'S AN ANOMALY, BUT
HERE, IT'S ALMOST ACCEPTED AS
ROUTINE.
Devin: WHY CAN'T WE GET A
HANDLE ON CARJACKINGS?
WELL, IT'S INTERESTING, WE'VE
SEEN, AND THIS IS THE GOOD PART.
CARJACKINGS ARE ROBBERIES, WE'VE
SEEN DOUBLE DIGIT REDUCTIONS IN
ROBBERIES IN THE CITY OF
DETROIT.
I MEAN, GOING BACK TO 2014.
I THINK WE'RE' AT A REDUCTION
COMPARED TO 2015 AND THEN ABOUT
A 19% REDUCTION COMPARED TO
2014.
WE'RE TRENDING IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION.
Devin: AGAIN, THIS FEELS
OUTSIZED TO US.
JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, WE
HAD A GUY WHO WAS KILLED AFTER
HE DID EVERYTHING HE WAS
SUPPOSED TO DO, RIGHT?
YES.
Devin: GIVING THEM THE CAR
AND GOT SHOT ANYWAY, WE GO TO
THE FAMILY AND I SPOKE TO THE
MOTHER OF THAT YOUNG MAN WHO WAS
TRAGICALLY MURDERED.
WE HAD A GOOD TALK, AND SHE
FEELS THE PAIN.
SAID WHY DIDN'T THEY JUST TAKE
MY SON'S CAR AND THERE'S THOSE
SINGLE INCIDENTS THAT DRIVE
FEAR.
YOU KNOW, I KEEP GOING BACK TO
THE INCIDENT, YOU TALKED ABOUT
THE CHILDREN IN THE FREEZER.
YOU TALKED ABOUT DEXTER AND
WEBB, THOSE INCIDENTS ARE WHAT
DRIVE FEAR.
IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN
STATISTICALLY CRIME IS UP, BUT
IT'S THE INDIVIDUAL INCIDENTS
THAT MAKE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE, WOW,
YOU, KNOW, THIS IS BAD.
IT'S DANGEROUS, STATISTICALLY,
WE'RE DOWN.
WHICH IS GREAT.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF ELEMENTS
HERE THOUGH THAT CONTINUE TO
COMPLICATE YOUR JOB AND ONE OF
THEM IS DRUG POLICY.
BECAUSE HOW MANY OF THE VIOLENT
CRIMES THAT YOU HAVE WORKED ON
THIS YEAR HAD DRUGS AT THE HEART
OF THEM IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER?
THERE'S ALWAYS--
TENDS TO BE MORE TIMES THE
DESTRUCTION NEXUS, WHETHER IT
WAS UNPAID DRUG DEBT, YOU KNOW,
NARCOTICS BEING SOLD THAT
WEREN'T NARCOTICS, THERE'S SOME
SORT OF NEXXIS, THAT'S NOT THE
ONLY ISSUE.
CERTAINLY ONE THING I FIND
TROUBLE HERE IS INDIVIDUAL'S
INABILITY TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS
AND NOT HANDLING CONFLICT IN THE
RIGHT MANNER, THAT'S--
WELL, THE CASE WITH THE
LITTLE GIRLS WHO WERE SHOT.
THIS IS NOT--
IT DIDN'T SEEM TO BE A MENTAL
HEALTH ISSUE WHERE SOMEBODY SAW
RED FLAGS, WE'LL TALK ABOUT
MENTAL HEALTH LATER, IT'S NOT AN
ISSUE CONNECTED TO A WORLD OF
CRIME, WHERE THERE ARE DRUGS
INVOLVED OR STOLEN PROPERTY OR
ANY OF THAT SORT OF THING.
TO SOLVE MY ANGER TO RUN HOME
AND GET A GUN.
WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT THAT?
WE ARE DOING THINGS AND WE
TALKED ALL FAIR ABOUT HOW DO YOU
REPRESS A SPONTANEOUS EVENT LIKE
THAT?
ARE THERE SOME TELLTALE SIGNS
THAT WE CAN PREDICT THAT THIS
PERSON IN A DIFFERENT INSTANCE
IS GOING TO COMMIT A VIOLENT
ACT.
I'LL TELL YOU VERY CHALLENGING.
THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE DO AND
HAVE DONE, LIKE I'VE TALKED IN
THE PAST ABOUT OUR BOOT CAMP,
FOCUSED ON MIDDLE SCHOOL AGED
KIDS.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS, THESE YOUNG
PEOPLE, THESE CHILDREN ARE
COMING FROM HOMES WHERE THEIR
PARENTS ARE UNABLE TO SETTLE
CONFLICT AND SO, HOW DOES THAT
CHILD LEARN?
AND SO, IT'S A PROBLEM.
I MEAN, YOU LOOK AT OUR SCHOOLS.
IT'S THERE.
AND THEN AS POLICE OFFICERS WE
COME IN, GENERALLY WHEN?
AFTER THE FACT WE RESPOND TO AND
IT'S TOO LATE.
BEFORE WE GET TO THE BREAK, WE
ADD MENTAL HEALTH CARE TO THIS.
GUNS REMAIN AN ISSUE HERE THO
THOUGH.
MANY LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES
HAVE THEIR OWN STRONG OPINIONS
ON GUN CONTROL.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS REASONABLE
GUN POLICY?
WELL, YOU KNOW, I'VE SAID IT
IN THE PAST AND MY POSITION IS
CONSISTENT, STEADFAST, LAW
ABIDING CITIZENS WHO ARE TRAINED
AND RESPONSIBLE, WHO ARE NOT--
NO PRIOR CRIMINAL RECORDS,
CERTAINLY NOT HAVING A HISTORY
OF SUFFERING FROM MENTAL
ILLNESS, THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAVE
THE RIGHT TO GET A CONCEALED
PISTOL LICENSE AND--
DO YOU SEE THAT AS THE SYSTEM
WE HAVE NOW?
I WOULD SAY THAT MICHIGAN IS
ONE OF THE LEADERS, MICHIGAN.
BUT A BETTER QUESTION, I'VE
ALWAYS SAID THIS AND THIS IS THE
THING THAT REALLY FRUSTRATES ME.
LET'S TALK ABOUT KEEPING THOSE
OUT OF THE HANDS OF CRIMINALS.
Devin: THE MENTAL ILLNESS
PORTION IS AN ENORMOUS ONE.
THIS IS FLASH POINT ON LOCAL 4.