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Crime in Flint, Michigan


Crime in Flint, Michigan, has been a serious issue, primarily due to an ongoing economic depression. Since the late-2000s, Flint has consistently ranked among the most violent cities in the United States. Law enforcement in Flint is the responsibility of the Flint Police Department, the Genesee County Sheriff's Office; and the Michigan State Police, which maintains a post in adjacent Flint Township that serves all of Genesee County.

The Flint Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in the city, led by Chief Tim Johnson. In recent decades, it has faced significant downsizing due to population decline and ongoing economic depression in the city. It is often assisted by the Genesee County Sheriff's Department, Michigan State Police, and the police departments of the University of Michigan–Flint, Mott Community College, Kettering University, and the Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission.

Between 2008 and 2010, mayor Dayne Walling reduced the number of patrol-level police officers from 208 to 67. The total number of police officer positions fell by 141, due to a combination of layoffs, resignations, and retirements

On September 28, 2011, the Flint Police Department was awarded $1,225,638 from the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to re-hire 6 laid off patrol officers. The officers were scheduled to be on the job starting in October 2011.

On June 18, 2012, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder visited Flint and announced additional state troopers would be sent to Flint and that additional state money would be provided to Flint for the city jail. Additionally, on the same day, state representative Jim Ananich proposed the Michigan State Housing Development Authority give state money from the federal foreclosure benefit fund to the Flint Police Department to hire more officers. A month later on July 17, 2012, Ananich reiterated his push to secure those funds from the state. He also pointed out that scrap metal thefts are on the rise in the city, and proposed a portion of the $97 million fund be set aside to prevent them, which he claimed will also benefit the local economy by attracting new businesses to the city.


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