DETROIT – The Detroit Police Department appears to be ending the year on a positive note with a turnaround that has seen the arrests of hundreds of drug dealers and decreased murder rates across the City in 2013. 

After a decade long battle concerning unconstitutional conduct that landed the department under federal monitoring with two consent decrees, they are now asking that those provisions be revoked. 

In a motion filed in U.S. District Court, attorney Allan Charlton wrote that the department is now vastly improved from ten years ago, when the City entered into two consent decrees with the U.S. Department of Justice, after police were accused of engaging in unconstitutional use of force in arrest and detention practices.

The road to an overhaul at the department did not come easily. In a City that has been plagued with increased murder rates, drug dealing and larceny in recent years, the department’s turnaround began after Police Chief James Craig assumed his position earlier this year with a fleshed out strategy in place.

During his first six months on the job, Craig has received high marks from union officials and rank-and-file officers for helping restore some measure of morale to a department that has been strained by pay decreases, benefit cuts and the threat of having pensions slashed. His aggressive method of crime fighting, meanwhile, has garnered both supporters and critics.

Craig has taken a data driven approach to help reduce crime in the City. With the help of the Manhattan Institute and the Bratton Group, the Chief was able to reshape the department by rearranging the command staff and holding precinct captains accountable for crime in their areas of responsibility. 

Detroit’s COMPSTAT computer system, set up by Wayne State University’s Center for Urban Studies, gives every officer access to details about crimes, including when and where they occurred, and the names, addresses, phone numbers and criminal histories of witnesses and suspects.

There’s also the stop-and-frisk policy, a controversial method adopted from the New York Police Department that has seen different forms of legal challenges. In Detroit, Craig says the policy is a proactive approach to catching crime offenders. The Council on American-Islamic Relations of Michigan expressed concern about the stop-and-frisk policy implemented in Detroit earlier this year, claiming it may lead to racial profiling. 

The department, however, argues that the City couldn’t possibly use racial profiling as a method, because 80 percent of its residents are African American, and most suspects arrested will be as well. Despite some forms of backlash regarding the adopted method, it does appear to be working. 

In 2012, Detroit garnered national attention when it was ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the country, with murder rates reaching an all-time high per 100,000 residents. This year however, murder rates have seen a significant drop across the City. 

By mid December, there were 315 homicides in Detroit — 60 fewer than the same period in 2012, a 16 percent drop. The total excludes justifiable homicides. Non-fatal shootings were down 7.6 percent during that time, with 88 fewer incidents than last year.

The City has recorded fewer than 350 criminal homicides only three other times since 1983: in 2008, 2010 and 2011.  The higher totals in previous years, of course, came when the population was higher than the current number of 700,000. Per 100,000 residents, Detroit ranked second in the nation last year with 54.6 murders per 100,000 residents, behind only Flint, which had a homicide rate of 62 per 100,000 residents. This year’s homicide rate so far has dropped to 45 per 100,000 residents.

Earlier this month, the department conducted a massive drug sweep in a west side neighborhood of Detroit that had a reputation with residents for becoming a drug central spot. Dubbed Operation Mistletoe, more than 300 officers stormed the 1.2 square mile area that has been infested with narcotics and drug related shootings. 

Craig said police executed 20 search warrants and arrested fugitives. 37 people were arrested on a slew of offenses, including drugs, probation and parole violations and misdemeanors. As part of the operation, police also handed out gift packages containing food to residents.

This was the third time since November that police have conducted similar sweeps. Police previously raided two crime-ridden apartment complexes on the City’s east side, arresting dozens there as well. 

But what’s even more eye-opening is that residents’ spirits seem to have been lifted as a result of these drug busts. As the police department raided some of these areas, the sound of sirens were drowned out by neighbors cheering and applauding the department’s efforts. Perhaps for once, this gives Detroiters a little glimpse of hope heading into a new year.