The ongoing battle against rising violent crime in Detroit is seeing promising returns, notably in certain neighborhoods involved in the city's ShotStoppers community violence intervention (CVI) program. A drop in violent crime ranging from 30 to 70 percent has been reported in areas monitored by four of the ShotStoppers groups, according to the City of Detroit. These statistics mirror the period between February and April of 2024, as compared to the same timeframe in the previous year.
This encouraging trend was underscored by data indicating that five of the six CVI Zones experienced at least a 22% drop in violence, surpassing the 20% reduction observed in non-CVI areas, CBS News Detroit reports. Specifically, Force Detroit heralds a 67% decline, New Era boasts a 53% reduction, Detroit 300 claims a 42% cutback, and Detroit Friends & Family reports a 33% decrease in violent crime rates. While the Detroit Peoples Community saw a 22% dip, it was not enough to qualify for this quarter's performance bonus.
The city's performance-based funding model rewards initiatives that show tangible results, according to Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison. "Building on the program's success in its 2nd Quarter, we are encouraged to see even more progress this time around as groups make adjustments to their strategies to meet the unique needs of each CVI zone and reduce violent crime," Bettison said, as per CBS News Detroit. Leveraging this approach, organizations working on the front lines have received substantial performance grants.
For example, FORCE Detroit received a grant of $175,000 as they demonstrated a remarkable 67% reduction in homicides and non-fatal shootings in their CVI Zone, which includes the Warrendale and Franklin Park neighborhoods, the city's website details. New Era Community Connection also garnered a $175,000 grant for their substantial drop in violence within the Harmony Village and Bethune Community areas. Detroit 300's initiative, after a strategy shift and collaborative efforts with other groups, was able to secure the same grant amount, showing a proactive stance in violence interruption led to the observed results. "We have been proactively going into our communities talking to folks, helping people", Eric Ford of Detroit 300 explained, according to the City of Detroit.
The initiatives, funded through a $10 million investment from the American Rescue Plan Act, are part of a larger strategy to curb the tide of violence using community-based interventions. The success of the CVI program has led city officials, including Mayor Duggan and Deputy Mayor Bettison to extend the life of the project for another year for four of the groups, while the two remaining groups received three-month extensions. This decision marks a continued investment into strategies that could stabilize and improve the quality of life in Detroit's most troubled neighborhoods.
