Silver Heights has been named the best big city in Michigan for five years in a row. In its yearly report, the FBI found that the second most populous city in Macomb County was the safest place for people over 100,000 in terms of both property and violent crimes. Statistics also show that the city was named the best in all of Michigan in 2021.
Last week, Mayor Michael Taylor said that the city’s safety mantra was “a way of life.” “We see it in the unwavering commitment of our community — from city officials to residents to our dedicated law enforcement officers,” the mayor stated. “We will continue to prioritize the well-being and security of everyone in our city where safety and prosperity go hand-in-hand.”
The information came from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) 2022 Crime Data Explorer of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Investigation.
With only 254 violent crimes in a year, Sterling Heights had the lowest violent crime rate of any Michigan city with more than 100,000 people. This is 17% less than Dearborn, 41% less than Ann Arbor, and 161% less than Warren. With 2,616 crimes against property, Sterling Heights had the lowest property crime rate of all of Michigan’s biggest cities. That’s 18% less than Dearborn, 22% less than Ann Arbor, and 50% less than Warren.
Already, among cities with more than 100,000 people, this one is one of the healthiest in the country. The most latest FBI crime numbers show that Sterling Heights is becoming safer over time.
Dale Dwojakowski, the chief of police, said that the FBI’s results show how the department works as a team to stop crime. That includes the police, the people who live there, and the companies working together. The chief said that the report’s findings help show that people who live, work, or visit Sterling Heights “don’t tolerate crime in our community.”
“I’m so proud of every single Sterling Heights police officer that has dedicated their career, passion, and expertise to help ensure Sterling Heights continues to be an incredibly safe city to raise a family or own a business,” said Dwojakowski.
In Sterling Heights’s most recent resident survey, which was done in 2021, 97% of people said they felt safe in their neighborhood during the day, and 86% were happy with the overall quality of police protection. This is 16% higher than the regional average and 23% higher than the national average. Also, 75% are happy with how the city is trying to stop crime, and 74% are happy with how they were treated by the Sterling Heights Police Department.
Sterling Heights’ crime rate has gone down over the past few years thanks to a number of factors. For example, the City Council approved funds in 2021 to hire seven new officers who do community policing through a community services bureau and lead neighborhood patrols.
The police department has also been a leader in creating new programs to help people who abuse drugs, such as the Comeback Quick Response Team and the new Re-Direct drug diversion programs. Officials say the programs have been good at getting addicts into treatment so they don’t keep going to jail, relapsing, and committing more crimes, which is what most crimes are caused by.
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