Detroit Police Chief Has to Ignore Some Crimes

In a recent story by ABC News (http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/Politics/detroit-police-chief-warren-evans-battles-crime/) Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans has his work cut out for him.

According to the story, Chief Evans was on patrol when he notice a white mini-van run thru a red light. The Chief intiated the traffic stop for the traffic violation. Upon contact with the driver, Chief Evans was told by the operator of the vehicle that he did not have drivers license. Chief Evans just simply told the driver to just "drive more carefully." Chief Evans told ABC News, "that was a legitimate arrest, but that arrest would have put an officer out of service for nearly an hour and a half."

In a city that boasts the most homicides per year, 375 and counting and more than a 1,000 shootings, Chief Warren's embattled department has to pick and choose what laws to enforce. Chief Warren also states that his departments in car camera's and computer don't even work in many of his departments squad cars and there are not enough beds in his city's jail. In a quote, "my department is the most underpaid and underappreciated police department in the country." Detroit P.D. also has the highest suicide rate among it's officers than any other police department in the country.

I really feel for Chief Evans and his embattled officers. I know first hand what's it's like to work in a under budgeted police department. And that was in a city that was no where near the size of Detroit. It's sad that Detroit police officers have to use their discretion in this manner. It's one thing to use officer discretion when it comes to a speeding ticket, it becomes more serious when it comes down to putting criminals in jail.