WDET 101.

9 FMs Post-Bankruptcy
Citywide Community Broadcasts

PUBLIC SAFETY

December 3, 2014 at the American Serbian Memorial Hall

Facts about Public Safety in Detroit

The citys Plan of Adjustment calls for the following for the Detroit Police
Department:
$179 million in additional operating expenses.
$91 million for the fleet, in part so that vehicles can be replaced every three to four
years
$175 million in technology upgrades including hand-held radios and better
integrated communication and computer systems.
$34 million for capital improvements, including new precincts and a new training
facility.
$150 million in cost reductions within the police department. Nearly $88 million of
that would come from labor eciencies and attrition in the police department. It
would not be a reduction uniformed ocers but in administrative positions.

For the Detroit Fire Department, the Plan of Adjustment includes:

$59 million to be spent on the DFD fleet, which includes replacements of vehicles.
$71 million in capital expenditures that would repair and replace several fire
department facilities. Some of the citys older sites dont accommodate current
equipment.
About $30 million is intended to repair existing facilities. About $20 million would
pay for equipment such as boots and coats.

Next Chapter Detroit is a place to

explore and understand the citys
bankruptcy, its impact on people
and neighborhoods and its longterm implications.

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MEET THE PANELISTS

Assistant Chief Steven G. Dolunt, Detroit Police Department
Assistant Steven G. Dolunt is a 29-year veteran of the Detroit Police
Department. He presently oversees Enforcement Operations, which
includes the Criminal Investigations Bureau, Major Crimes, Organized
Crimes, Criminal Intelligence Unit, Patrol Operations and Metro Division.
Assistant Chief Dolunt received his masters degree in technology, a
Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice, an Associate in Liberal Arts and 2
years of Law School.

Derek Blackmon, Community & Safety Director for Black

Family Development Inc.
Black Family Development, Inc. is a private, non-profit
comprehensive family counseling agency created in 1978 by the
Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Black Social
Workers. It was established as a family counseling agency, seeking
to promote and provide quality social work services in Detroit that
are culturally relevant and sensitive.

MODERATOR: Sandra Svoboda, WDET

Sandra Svoboda is WDETs bankruptcy reporter and blogger at
NextChapterDetroit.com as part of the Detroit Journalism
Cooperative. She also reports on air and is part of the Detroit
Today show team. She has covered Detroit for The Associated Press,
The (Toledo) Blade, The Metro Times and other news outlets.
nextchapterdetroit.com
PRESENTED BY

Snapshot: Public Safety in Bankruptcy Court

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During her testimony in the bankruptcy trial, Detroit City Council President
Brenda Jones identified public safety as one of the two biggest issues facing
the city. (The other was blight.)
Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr testified that public safety was his first
focus when he started with the city. Police and fire, he said, had unacceptable response
times, outdated equipment and inferior technology.
During the bankruptcy trial, businessman Roger Penske testified about a meeting he
had with Mayor Dave Bing, who asked business leaders for help cleaning up parks and
providing police cars and EMS units.
After that meeting, I talked to the mayor and said I felt I could be a catalyst to
go out in the private sector and get 100 police cars and also 23 EMS units,
Penske said on the witness stand on Oct. 3. Im happy to say with seven or
eight phone calls, people said yes. In August last year, we started delivering
the 100 police cars and 23 EMS units. We supported with capital and theres
also a piece thats being funded over time and were supporting that with
guarantees to the banks.

Charles Moore, a restructuring expert with the Conway Mackenzie firm, hired by
the city, testified during the bankruptcy trial about his analysis of Detroits finances. We
turned over every rock in trying to understand how the departments are operating now
and how they might operate better. That includes analyzing how to increase: revenues by,
for example, including procuring grants, including from the federal government, and
charging for services including false alarms and other things that cause
the departments to make unneeded runs.
I know from many discussions with the fire department, this has been a bit of
a bittersweet process. Certainly on the one hand, having better equipment,
being able to respond and do their job better is a positive, but they also
recognize the Chapter 9 process has been difficult on employees, Moore said.
They recognize it will improve the morale, but they also recognize it has
been difficult on employees.

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Upcoming Community Broadcasts

City Services - Dec. 8 at St. Matthews & St. Josephs Episcopal Church, 8850 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48202
Lighting - Dec. 10 at Lakeridge Village, 15941 Fairfield St., Detroit, MI 48238

Want more information? nextchapterdetroit.com | 313-577-4207