June is Gun Violence Awareness Month.  To bring more attention to the issue, city officials dressed the Spirit of Detroit statue in an orange jersey last week as they ushered in their “Silence the Violence” campaign.  

It’s the second year the statue has donned the jersey.  

Detroit Police First Assistant Chief Franklin Hayes says the city has seen a 13% decrease in homicides compared to this time last year.  He spoke with WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley about the falling murder rate and the city’s efforts to continue reducing crime.

Interview edited for time and clarity.

First Assistant Chief Franklin Hayes: Yep, so we are down what equates to 16 less victims of gun violence here in the city. We had eight less homicides over this time last year, and eight less non-fatal shootings that occurred over this time last year. 

Detroit has a lot of things going on with the CVI (community violence intervention) programs, a lot of initiatives. Mayor Sheffield just announced a six-point plan to help bring violence down even more. But what else can the city do to help bring us closer to the goal? Well, we’re open to ideas. Everyone is doing something, as you mentioned, Madam Mayor Sheffield, and the resources she’s allocating to this Director Brent, who we heard earlier today at the different offices in this administration, certainly, what the police department can do. Our CVI groups, who have been an invaluable partner in this, this is all the work that we’re doing.

And if we see areas of opportunity, we will take up that as well and do that, because although we’ve seen the reductions and you’ve seen the numbers, still far too much gun violence here in this city, so we’re going to keep working at it.

Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET:  You mentioned in your speech that you hold a lot of titles as father, as police, as an outdoorsman, and that means you have a lot of responsibility to be a responsible gun owner. Can you talk more about that, and also like what that should look like for other people who hold those titles as well?

FH: Extreme responsibility, extreme ownership, both literally and figuratively, of firearms. We have to set the example. We have to be the leaders, owning firearms in those spaces, being a responsible father, making sure that my firearms are safely stored or staged for my family, my friends, my nieces, my nephews, my daughter in the workspace, making sure again that it, that I secured, and make sure it’s well, and certainly for the hobbies that we mentioned, as a trap shooter and as an outdoorsman, as a hunter, making sure that they are secured safely, but often also utilized in the spaces where they should be.

We have historically dealt with issues of gunfire throughout the city. We know what happens on New Year’s Day, and we’re trying to change that behavior as well, and others that are treating our city like a gun range. So, again, making sure that I don’t have any of the firearms that I own available to do that, but also in these roles, whether I’m talking to fellow outdoorsmen, whether I’m talking to other dad groups or other parents, and certainly my colleagues in law enforcement, not only here but around the country, to encourage safe storage and responsibly securing our firearm, so they don’t get into the wrong hands and something bad happens.

BT: There was a young man who spoke earlier, he said that the first time he picked up a gun was around 13 years old. How many of our youth are also on that path right now?

FH: Far too many, but with the commitment again of this administration, this police chief, police department, and our CVI partners, we are working to change that narrative day by day, making sure that that is not the norm for our young Detroiters and future leaders of the city.

Detroit Police want to extend their contract with ShotSpotter before it expires at the end of the month. But DPD officials tell city council they’re searching for alternatives to the technology. 

Detroit City Council has expressed concerns about ShotSpotter’s surveillance tech in the past and they have questions about the effectiveness and security of the system. 

DPD Officer Mathew Pencil frequently responds to ShotSpotter incidents in the city’s ninth precinct.

He told council members that hearing gunfire is so common in the city, that sometimes residents won’t even call 911. “Sometimes residents are afraid. Sometimes they can’t tell where they came from, or they assume someone else will call. ShotSpotter doesn’t hesitate, it doesn’t panic, it doesn’t look away. It alerts immediately, and it gives the chance to intervene while seconds matter on the street.” 

Pencil says ShotSpotter’s surveillance is the reason police responded after 66 shots were fired in one neighborhood on the night of August 17, 2025, minutes before anyone called 911. 

The city’s Public Health and Safety Committee voted to postpone a decision on the contract until next week in order to hear from residents first. 

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley

Additional headlines from Tuesday, June 2, 2026

UAW strike

About a thousand UAW members went on strike at the Dauch Corporation factory in Three Rivers Monday. Dauch is the company once known as American Axle. The Three Rivers plant is the company’s largest in Michigan. It makes axles for General Motors. 

The union says Dauch is refusing to restore fair wages after the workers took cuts during the Great Recession. UAW President Shawn Fain kicked off the strike with a video saying “no contract…no axles.”

The Detroit News reports the strike could disrupt production of pickup trucks in Flint if it goes on for more than a couple of weeks. 

Pheasant Flock Party

This weekend, you might want to pop into Detroit’s first ever Pheasant Flock Party. Brewery Faison and the Detroit Bird Alliance are co-hosting the event Saturday where Michiganders and Michigeese can partake in a bird festival block party.

There will be a bird impersonation pageant, a “crow-off,” bird-themed workshops and games, a “pheasant strut” (as one does) and a meet and greet with Fabio the Pheasant.

The Pheasant Flock Party is Saturday from noon until 6 p.m. at Brewery Faison at 1087 Beaufait Street on the city’s east side.

Vault of Midnight hosts game night

Vault of Midnight hosts its monthly game night Sunday in Hamtramck. This month’s featured games include Wondrous Creatures, High Society Yokai Carnival, some tiny games and more.

Detroit Vault of Midnight Game Night is every first Sunday from 5 – 8 p.m. at Florian East Lagers and Ales at 9350 Joseph Campau in Hamtramck. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

A former Detroit Police sergeant accused of raping six women and girls will stand trial. The Detroit Free Press reports Benjamin Wagner faces 20 charges, including criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping. 

Prosecutors allege that he committed the crimes between 1999 and 2003, attacking females ranging from 14 to 23 years old. He was charged in March, based on DNA evidence from a rape kit that sat in storage for years. The survivors testified against Wagner at his preliminary hearing. 

His lawyer argued some of their stories had changed over the years. A judge ruled that enough evidence exists to let a jury decide.  

Additional headlines for Tuesday, May 19, 2026

DHS may end TPS for Burmese refugees

The Department of Homeland Security wants to end Temporary Protected Status for Burmese refugees. TPS allows those fleeing dangerous conditions in their home country to live and work in the U.S. 

TPS status was granted when the U.S. declared the mass killings of the Rohingya people a decade ago to be genocide. A federal judge postponed the effort to end Temporary Protected Status for Burmese refugees. DHS claimed conditions were safe enough for refugees to return.  

Detroit sidewalk repairs

The city currently has a backlog of 6,300 sidewalk repair requests. Some residents have been waiting up to five years for a response. 

Detroit City Council approved an $8 million contract two weeks ago to fix the sidewalks and allocated an additional $1.5 million in carry-over funds from the previous budget. 

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield says when she was on city council, she constantly received questions about sidewalk repairs. “Oftentimes I think we think about big developments and big investments that residents want and deserve in their neighborhoods, but it’s also about simple quality of life things like lights and sidewalks that residents deserve to get addressed.” 

Officials say the backlog should be cleared by the end of this construction season. The city is now taking requests for 2027.  

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley

Chemical clean up

Monsanto and the state of Michigan have reached a settlement to help pay for cleaning up PCB contamination. 

PCBs are a class of chemicals that had a wide range of industrial uses before they were banned. They’re linked to cancer, weakened immune systems and neurological disfunction, among other things. 

PCBs are particularly troublesome because they persist in the environment and build up in the food chain. For example, the state has had to issue advisories warning people not to eat certain types of fish because of contamination.

Attorney General Dana Nessel says Monsanto has agreed to pay somewhere between $108 million and $240 million once the settlement is paid in full. As part of the deal, Monsanto does not acknowledge any wrongdoing.

It will be up to the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Department of Natural Resources to develop cleanup plans. 

-Reporting by Rick Pluta

Local governments prepare to spend opioid settlement money

Local governments in Michigan are sitting on $176 million from the nationwide opioid settlement. The attorney general’s office reports that cities, townships, and counties have spent less than 20% of the money they’ve received since checks started going out in 2023. The funds are supposed to help communities reduce drug overdoses and deaths. An adviser to the Michigan Association of Counties tells Bridge Michigan some local governments are preparing to spend part of that money this year.

Last year, Michigan recorded the fewest drug-related deaths since 2013. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Detroit police and fire departments have released a video of a man who started a fire inside Huntington Place last month.

Officials say on the morning of April 28 a man poured gasoline onto the carpet in the convention center’s first floor concourse and set the carpet on fire.

Police are looking for information about the man – dressed in all black, wearing a grey face mask and carrying a black backpack. Anyone with information can contact the Police Department’s Fire Investigation Division at 313-596-2940. 

Additional headlines for Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Michigan Supreme Court hears lawsuit against House Speaker Matt Hall

Union members and lawmakers will gather at the State Supreme Court Wednesday to support sending several bills passed during the 2023-2024 legislative session to the governor for her signature. Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall has held the bills back. The court will hear oral arguments this week.

The 9 bills affect pensions for corrections officers, health insurance premiums for public workers and garnishment policies for low income residents – among other issues.

Judge halts termination of TPS for Yemenis

A judge in the Southern District of New York has stopped the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Yemeni nationals living in the U.S.

Then Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced in March that Yemen no longer met the conditions for TPS designation. TPS protections and benefits were supposed to end May 4, but District Judge Dale Ho said last week that the Trump administration did not follow the law when it revoked TPS status for people fleeing armed conflict in Yemen.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer on DHS attempts to terminate TPS status for Haitians and Syrians. 

High school marks end of first E-sports season

Denby High School has wrapped up its first E-sports season.

School leaders say video gaming has already led to higher grade point averages. The E-sports program at the Eastside school offers students the opportunity to compete with other schools in gaming, commentating and graphic design.

Korran “Ms. Que” Whittake tracks student progress in the E-Sports program. “I want to see kids really getting into school and using this platform… to really get into school and doing something that they like,” says Whittake. She hopes that the E-sports program leads to higher GPAs and more opportunities for students.

The E-Sports program has already led to one student receiving a full scholarship to Olivet College.

-Reporting by WDET’s Jonathan Roden

Drinks x Design

Drinks x Design will explore product design in the city. The event will shine a spotlight on Caroline Del Guidice, Jimmy Ward, Ryan Kahen, Kyle Stahler, The Duey Dealer, Eric Strebel, Botzen Design, Vidit Singh, Shayla Johnson, All Motion Studio, Hanna Garza and more! 

Drinks x Design is May 7 at Vander Design, with music by Ember LaFiamma and food by Waka Street Food. The event is free but reservation is required. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Detroit’s police department has been collecting wins. Homicides in 2025 hit their lowest point since 1965. Carjackings dropped by nearly half. 

But over the past two weeks, another picture has emerged from inside the department’s own forensic operation.

At recent Board of Police Commissioners meetings, former forensic technicians came forward to describe conditions within the Crime Scene Services unit. What they described raises questions about safety, evidence handling, and whether the integrity of criminal cases has been compromised.

A state workplace safety agency has already cited the unit. A resident has sent those findings to city councilmembers, police commissioners, and the Wayne County Prosecutor. And a commissioner who tried to visit the facility says she had to wait two weeks — and was still unsatisfied with what she saw.

Outlier Media’s March 31 newsletter first reported on these complaints. 

Noah Kincade coordinates the Detroit Documenters program at Outlier Media. He joined Robyn Vincent to discuss conditions inside the Detroit Police Department’s Crime Scene Services unit and the response from community members and stakeholders.

Editor’s Note: The Detroit Police Department is pursuing accreditation from the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police. The broadcast version of this story said the accreditation was national.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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When President Donald Trump took office, he promised to crack down on immigration. He’s done that. 

Since January of 2025, at least 2,400 immigrants were arrested in Michigan alone. But President Trump and immigration officials are not following an orderly process. Officials are often skirting the law, or violating it. 

This was visible months ago in Minneapolis, when masked ICE agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti and thousands took to the streets. Here in Michigan, the work of ICE is harder to spot. But due to action in the courts, we’ve been learning more. 

Federal judges recently ruled that hundreds of people in Michigan were unconstitutionally detained as they never had a chance of being released on bond. 

For its part, the administration says it’s detaining the “worst of the worst.” But in many cases, non-citizens without a criminal record have been detained. 

So, what do ICE arrests and detentions look like in metro Detroit? What are the stories of those who’ve been detained? How are local police involved in the work? And, who’s fighting back? 

Violet Ikonomova is an investigative reporter for the Detroit Free Press. She spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

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More stories from The Metro