Fewer cops, less crime: MLive investigation finds Michigan safer even as police numbers decline

Mlive.com ^ | August 27, 2013 | John Barnes

[cripplecreek]

He was police officer of the year just months ago, at one of the state’s largest departments. Decorated. Heralded. One of the best. Then he was laid off.

Today, Brian Wilson does odd jobs to make ends meet. He works part-time one day a week at one of the state’s smallest departments.

“A lot of my awards … had to do with being proactive,” said the former Saginaw police officer. “My ability to do that was reduced significantly over the past year because I didn’t have as much back-up and I didn’t have anywhere near as much time on the road.”

Michigan is bleeding police officers. In the past decade, enough cops have been cut to equal the elimination of all Michigan State Police officers and the entire sworn force in Grand Rapids, the state’s second-largest city.

But there’s the conundrum, an MLive Media Group investigation found. Despite the decline, you have never been safer in Michigan from serious crimes in a decade.

[kearnyirish2]

“Maybe the cops were committing a lot of the crimes?”

Here in NJ we’ve laid off a lot of cops over the past few years, and things aren’t much different (except our property taxes have stabilized).

[nascarnation]

I read in the WSJ last year that nationally there are half the number of fires and twice the number of paid firefighters as 25 yrs ago.

[gigster]

I Open Carry as much as I can in Charlevoix. I have not had any interactions with any LEO’s in the area; whose prime purpose is to write up DUI’s. We have a saying in Charlevoix:
“Come here on Vacation, Go Home on Probation”.
Also, I Open Carry to the Range, and I had one young guy, who I know, ask if I was gong out to practice at the Range.
Additionally, no interactions with people who didn’t know
that I was Carrying Concealed.

[cripplecreek]

I like both open and concealed carry.

Concealed keeps em wonderin and open reminds em in case they forget.