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ShotStoppers is Detroit’s most prized crime reduction program. For a little over a year, the community-based intervention project has helped stop violence before it happens.

The numbers speak loudly. Detroit had 203 homicides by the end of 2024, its lowest number recorded since 1965. Last October, the city also had a 45 percent drop in homicides in areas where ShotStoppers was implemented — that’s compared to an 18 percent drop in places without it.

But ShotStoppers may not continue beyond 2025. The program rests on federal American Rescue Plan Act money, which will soon reach an end. State Democrats missed an opportunity to fund ShotStoppers programs in Detroit and in other Michigan cities during their lame duck session.

Many Detroiters are concerned about the program ending, along with the Detroit Police Department. Producer Sam Corey sat down with interim Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison to learn more about the program and how he’s advocating for sustained funding. Bettison was selected by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan to be the city’s next police chief and is awaiting confirmation by city council. 

Use the media player above to hear the conversation.

Hear more stories from The Metro on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order revoking a goal that ensured that half of new vehicles sold in the U.S. were to be battery-powered by 2030. 

The project of moving America away from Electric Vehicles may not be that simple. It’s also a directional change of where the country was going less than a year ago, with auto companies spending millions on new electric vehicles and technology. 

Wall Street Journal’s Detroit Bureau Chief Mike Colias joins The Metro. He just published the book, “Inevitable,” which is about how the transition to electric vehicles is happening, despite it being a messy project.

Hear more stories from The Metro on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.

Join the conversation by calling 313-577-1019 or leaving us an Open Mic message on the WDET app. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.