DETROIT — This week, the Detroit Police Department announced some good news for the City, which has seen a surge in crime and has been dubbed the most dangerous city in the country in recent years. From Monday, November 25 to Tuesday, November 26, no murders or violent crimes were reported.

While that might not seem like an accomplishment for any other major American city, it could be considered one for Detroit. To put it in perspective, last year, data revealed that if Detroit had the population of New York City, over 4,500 murders would occur yearly.

“For the first time in months, the City of Detroit has seen its longest period of non-violence… 36 hours of not one murder or one non-fatal shooting,” Detroit Police Sgt. Michael Woody said in a press release. 

Homicides had increased over 10 percent in 2012, pushing the murder rate to 53 per 10,000 residents. Those figures ranked Detroit the highest amongst the nation’s top 20 most populated cities. Only New Orleans had comparable figures for cities with more than 200,000 residents. 

But after murder rates and non-fatal shootings reached a high in 2011 and 2012, a turn-around seems to already be occurring. Police also noted that there has been a 13 percent decrease in homicides year-to-date, down 46 for a total of 308. There’s also been a 5.6 percent drop in non-fatal shootings this year.

In recent months, the department has re-strategized on ways to buckle down on crime, including adopting some controversial methods from the New York City Police Department. The “stop and frisk policy” has allowed police officers to target suspects, if they appear suspicious. While the method worked in New York City, with it came a wave of controversy, as many have criticized the tactic as a racial profiling method.

But in Detroit, a city with a population that is predominantly African American (about 80 percent), the department argues that racial profiling won’t occur, because most residents are minorities.

“We can directly attribute this decline to the dedication of the hardworking men and women of this department and the continuing assistance of the citizens of this great City,” Woody added.

Police also released data this week touting the successes of some of the department’s recently formed units, including the revamped Gang Intelligence Surveillance Transit squad, which began operating Oct. 28. Since then, the unit has made 20 felony arrests and 11 misdemeanor arrests, and confiscated five handguns, two long guns, and 169 grams of marijuana.

The Vice Squad, which started Nov. 4, has made four felony arrests and 34 misdemeanor arrests, confiscated an AK-47 and a shotgun, issued 180 ordinance violations, and seized 247 grams of marijuana.

This week, the department also established a 24-hour Investigative Control Desk. The control desk will operate as a center zone for all occurring crimes in Detroit. Personnel determine the investigative entity that will assume responsibility for arrests on developing cases, along with who will be allocated the forthcoming investigation of a case.

Sgt. Woody says the establishment of the Investigative Control Desk is to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the Police Department. 

But while Sgt. Woody has been able to make some changes since his appointment earlier this year, the department still has some improvements to make. Response time in the City is, on average, 43 minutes after an incident is reported. The department has had to prioritize calls based on severity due to increased crime and a shortage of patrol officers.