Flint Worse Than Oakland?
[May 31,2008]

            Yes, I know there are many who feel that Flint Michigan is really the number one violent crimes city in the country, and why didn't I mention it? 

            O.k., Are you sure you want to read it?  I'll quote the good news first, what was said about Flint by another authority...  Wikipedia.

            "During the 1980s and 1990s, Flint gained a reputation as a crime ridden example of deindustrialization. Trends over the last few years have been changing that negative outlook. As of 2007, homicide in Flint is down 52% and rape is down 36%. Auto theft, assault, and larceny are also down. The total amount of homicides in Flint in 2007 are some of the lowest in decades.

            In the 2008 State of the State address, Jennifer Granholm commended Flint on its 46% drop in crime in 2007. In May of 2008, new crime statistics for the city were released, showing some of the most dramatic decreases in crime in decades. Murder had dropped 71%, Assault had dropped 48%. Arson and auto theft also saw drops in the 20% range. The reopening of the Flint City Jail has been considered the major cause of these dramatic decreases in crime."
 
            The Flint Police Department credits, "Police services delivered through the neighborhood police officer."  The next time Chief Tucker crows about getting rid of the Patrol Division Beat System, look at his stats and those of Flint where they have a Patrol Division.  And, when Tucker says he's so happy that OPD's three "old-fashioned" "watch system" was replaced by his 25 line-up "2-2-3-2-2-3" 12-hour shifts just look at Flint where they have the three watch system.  Chief Hagler of Flint gives substantial reason for reducing his crime rate to his Jail.  He says that the Mayor's budget saving plan to go to a part time jail will cause the crime to go back up.  Remember, OPD Chief Tucker's first substantial act was to close Oakland's Jail.  For those who feel Oakland's answer is simply more cops, note that Flint went from 350 cops in 1999 to a budget of less than 260 in 2006.  Now, they're planning to cut another 35 or so.

            This is not to say that everything is roses and sunshine in Flint.  The Mayor wanted to cut 59 sworn personnel because of a looming budget deficit.  The City Council pared that down.  He is going to give days off without pay to city employees.  Further, on the police department, he is going to reduce the number of Captains from three to one, 12 Lieutenants to 7 and 61 Sergeants to 50.  Mayor Dellums hasn't thought of this yet, presumably because he doesn't feel the same way as the Flint Mayor who says, "I assure you the efficiency will pick up 2,000 percent.  They'll spend less time in coffee shops and less time complaining and more time working."

            I didn't want to mention Flint Michigan, because I don't want to view Oakland in the same context.  I simply don't believe their numbers, and the culture seems much different.  Besides, anytime there are comparisons with smaller cities even small changes can make dramatic differences.  Flint has had an acting Chief for over four years.  The Mayor is an eccentric to say the least.  The population has plummeted from 200,000 in 1970 to about 112,500.  Officer corruption is reported as rampant.  In February of this year a Flint cop stopped a woman for a traffic violation and reportedly took her back to the station for 30 minutes of sex.  A friend of the cop said, "A lot of Flint cops do stuff like that and some do worse stuff but he just happen to be the one to get caught."  The cops are fighting to get their two man cars back.  They've deployed an armored car that looks like it belongs in Baghdad.
 
ronoz

ps.        Anyone interested in Flint demographics...  according to Wikipedia...

            As of the census of 2000, there were 124,943 people [112,524 in 2006 according to Census Bureau], 48,744 households, and 30,270 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,714.9 per square mile (1,434.5/km²). There were 55,464 housing units at an average density of 1,649.1/sq mi (636.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 41.39% White, 53.27% Black or African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.11% from other races, and 3.14% from two or more races. 2.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 7.2% were of German and 5.6% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.0% spoke English and 2.5% Spanish as their first language.

            There were 48,744 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.0% were married couples living together, 27.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.16.

            In the city the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.

            The median income for a household in the city was $28,015, and the median income for a family was $31,424. Males had a median income of $34,009 versus $24,237 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,733. About 22.9% of families and 26.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.4% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.