Detroit Crime Commission taps veterans of FBI, State Police to fill the gaps in law enforcement

[Black Fire]

Just an interesting article I recently read:

When Wayne County prosecutors suddenly had to spirit a key murder witness and his family to safety in the middle of the night earlier this summer, they couldn't hit the ATM for cash or fire up the Bat Signal.

Instead, said Prosecutor Kym Worthy, the Detroit Crime Commission threw them a lifeline.

"We had a fearful witness, and we were even more fearful for them," Worthy recalled. "We're here at 12 midnight and realize we can't send them home. It took one phone call to the Crime Commission, and we were able to get the witness and family to a safe place."

Worthy is just one of the local law enforcement officials who are welcoming the commission as a civilian adjunct to traditional crime-fighting in metro Detroit.

"This is an idea that has worked well elsewhere," she said. "And there's room here for them."

The commission was organized less than a year ago by former FBI agent Ron Reddy, who has since brought in Andrew Arena, who just stepped down as the top agent in the bureau's Detroit office, to serve as director, and Ellis Stafford, a former Michigan State Police inspector, as operations director. There also are a handful of researchers in the commission's sixth-floor offices in the old First Federal building overlooking the revitalized Campus Martius.

Arena, who grew up in southwest Detroit, said the commission's core mission is to identify "the gaps in law enforcement where our funding and ability can make a difference."

The commission is organized as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity to assist law enforcement. Its website says it also provides analytical resources and training to law enforcement.

Raising awareness
Instead of arrests and indictments, Arena said, the commission will use civil lawsuits and public awareness to go after and resolve problems. Some material might be handed off to law enforcement for possible criminal charges. Other situations might be given the glare of public spotlighting through news organizations.

The commission's first targets are somewhat intertwined: identifying criminal enterprises, bringing lawsuits aimed at forcing the cleanup of specific nuisance houses and buildings in viable neighborhoods and exposing large-scale slumlords -- issues that regularly affect the quality of life for city residents.

For instance, a neighborhood's rash of fires might not be just a case of bad luck, or careless squatters or dopers.

"It could be organized arson and insurance fraud flying under the radar," Arena said.

Similarly, a swath of vacant houses blighting a neighborhood could be held by a single owner rather than individuals fallen on hard times.

Arena said going to court with volunteer lawyers on behalf of residents in a neighborhood, such as the University District or southwest Detroit, to seek cleanup or razing of a vacant structure, helps stabilize a community while eliminating sites where drug dealing or other crimes can get a foothold.

Going after vacants

Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. said he sees the commission's use of nuisance-abatement suits as its best tool now.

"Go after these vacant buildings," Godbee said. "Renovate, repair or tear them down. Left standing they become smoke houses for drugs, skip houses for truant students -- places that lower the quality of life. And they are dangerous."

The commission said it will have to pick its first targets carefully and build on a record of initial success.

"We can't knock down 40,000 houses, but we can focus on areas with well-established community groups," Arena said.

One pending case uses attorneys from Flood Lanctot Connor Stablein, a Royal Oak law office, against the Texas-based owner of the hard-worn and boarded-up Gormar apartments at 17926 Woodward near Nevada.

The suit alleges the building and surrounding area are a haven for prostitutes and a dumping ground roiling with rats. A walk around the property is a stroll littered with used condoms and needles.

Since the suit was filed in February, a slain teenage girl was found near the building -- a tragic site now marked with soiled stuffed toys and withered balloons that were left as a makeshift memorial. The commission is seeking a default judgment in the case.

Efforts by the Free Press to contact the owner were unsuccessful.

Not an easy task

But the nuisance lawsuits are not easy strolls through court. A binder sitting on the conference room table in the commission's office on just one problematic house in the University District was nearly 4 inches thick.

Going after bad buildings is not all the commission does. It has hosted training seminars for police, and wants to do more analytic work. Internships and partnerships with Central Michigan University and the University of Detroit Mercy Law School also are in the works.

Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon said the commission's leadership is well-respected and could help agencies that are being whittled down because of shrinking budgets. There are hundreds fewer officers and "it's tough out there," he said.

Relying on backers

Reddy said the commission is drawing initial funding and support from several individuals and firms, including the Flood Lanctot firm and Sean Cotton of Meridian Health. He declined to identify all the backers, but said there will be a complete accounting in November when the commission files its Internal Revenue Service disclosure reports as a charitable organization.

In the meantime, he said, the operation is being run on a lean diet: "Cheap, or should I say financially responsible."

With a degree in electronics engineering and a career in the FBI on his résumé, Reddy said the commission "will be focused on results. That was pounded into us by the FBI."

Maintaining separation

Despite their law-enforcement backgrounds, those on the commission are mindful that they are no longer the folks with the badges, and they said they will maintain a separation from the police agencies.

They will rely on resources and tools available to the public: court records, public documents and Freedom of Information Act requests, Reddy and Arena said.

And they also have their experience.

"I am a trained investigator," Reddy deadpanned.

Contact Joe Swickard: 313-222-8769 or jswickard@freepress.com

More Details: Who's who of Detroit Crime Commission
Executive Director Andrew Arena: Retired FBI special agent in charge of the Detroit Division; graduate of Central Michigan University and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law; specialized in violent crime, organized crime, public corruption and international terrorism in assignments in Cleveland and Youngstown, Ohio; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C., and New York.

Deputy Director Ron Reddy: Retired FBI agent specializing in violent crime and counterterrorism in assignments in Cleveland, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, Iraq and the Republic of Georgia; member of the FBI’s SWAT program; degrees in electronic engineering and public administration; U.S. Navy veteran.

More Details: DCC foundation
The Detroit Crime Commission is organized as a charitable foundation to assist law enforcement. As a 501(c)(3) organization, contributions are tax-deductible.

For more information about the DCC, its programs and services, making contributions and additional support, go to detroitcrimecommission.org.

[Nicky2013]

This is a good idea. Will it ultimately work? That remains to be seen. But does Detroit have a major problem with "accidental" police shootings? Because whenever we hear about cops shooting innocent teenagers or unlawfully killing suspects instead of arresting them. It's always been L.A. or New York. I think this is an idea more major cities need to try though. It'll cut down on the police homicides since veteran state cops and FBI aren't as weak-nerved as lots of these other cops who have no experience or very litt.e