Wayne Co. deputies to police Detroit public housing units
Source: ZACHARY GORCHOW, Detroit FREE PRESS (MI), December 13, 2005
Wayne County sheriff's deputies are expected to take over policing Detroit's public housing facilities, replacing a private corporation that has been providing security. Under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which still has to be approved by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and county commissioners, the sheriff's department would be responsible for policing the city's 19 public housing complexes. ..... If approved as expected, the sheriff's department will replace Wackenhut Corp., a private company that now handles security for public housing. Five months ago, HUD took over the Detroit Housing Commission, which runs public housing in the city, after decades of complaints about fiscal mismanagement and dilapidated buildings. Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans said his department could better police housing units because, unlike Wackenhut's personnel, his deputies can make arrests and have the resources to pinpoint crime trends. When Wackenhut responds to a situation, its personnel have to contact Detroit police to make an arrest.