The Ypsilanti Police Department is taking steps to improve community policing.
Police Chief Tony DeGiusti says the department will expand its detective bureau from two to possibly five detectives. This will allow patrol officers who are currently helping with investigations to spend more time engaging with the community. The chief says the department also has plans to create a Community Oriented Policing Crime Reduction Unit.
Chief Tony DeGiusti: That’s going to be a group of officers that are going to be not assigned to patrol and not necessarily assigned to the detective bureau. But their job is going to be out and addressing community-based issues, the things that a lot of people call quality of life issues.
YPD would also like to assign officers to regularly patrol specific areas of the city in order to become familiar with those areas. The police department hopes to start rolling out some of these programs next year. Chief DeGiusti also encourages residents to email him with recommendations on how to improve community policing. You can contact him at tdegiusti@cityofypsilanti.com. Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU today to keep your community NPR station thriving.
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— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu
