The need for change within the Detroit Police Department

Mayor Mike Duggan and Chief James Craig have made a lot of progress bringing improvements to the Detroit Police Department. There are, however, moments that show just how much work needs to still be done.

One particular resident of the Warrendale neighborhood, who lives on Tireman Street near Rouge Park, discovered that two men were burglarizing her home on the morning of Wednesday, January 27. She called 9-1-1 to report this a total of three times, with her final call being logged at 9:47 a.m.

At 9:49 a.m., records from the Detroit Police Department show that her complaint was routed to police dispatching. The problem is that there weren't any police officers available to respond to her call.

And so her plea for help sat in their system.

Three Detroit Police vehicles drove past her home and this resident tried to flag each of them down to let them know that these intruders were still in her home stealing her belongings. Unfortunately, none of them stopped.

Each of those police cars were already en route to another call where someone else desperately needed them.

It wasn't until 12:06 p.m. - almost two and a half hours after her last call to 9-1-1 - that police officers with Scout 6-2 finally arrived at the scene. By that time, the perpetrators had already fled the scene. The burglary on Tireman Street has become another in a long series of unsolved felonies in Detroit.

Mayor Mike Duggan and Chief James Craig have made a lot of progress bringing improvements to the Detroit Police Department. Moments like this, however, show just how much work still needs to be done.

Attempted robbery at Chase Bank in Detroit

Chase Bank - Photo by Frank Nemecek

There was an attempted robbery at the Chase Bank (17733 W. Warren Ave.) located at the southeast corner of W. Warren Avenue and the Southfield Freeway. This incident happened at approximately 1:15 p.m.

Luckily for everyone who was in the bank at the time - except of course the robber - there was an off-duty Wayne County Sherrif deputy in the branch when this happened. Wally Beydoun of the Wayne County Sherrif's Department managed to stop the crime without incident.

The Arab American News has complete coverage of this attempted robbery on their website here.

I commend Beydoun for remaining calm during a difficult situation and thinking so quickly.

3 charged in murder of Detroit firefighter

David Madrigal was a 26-year veteran of the Detroit Fire Department who lived on Vaughn Street in the Warrendale neighborhood for years. This past December, though, he was found murdered in his home on Vaughn near Tireman.

After almost three months, the Detroit Police Department has made three arrests in connection with this crime. Timmy Lynn Soto, age 32, of Detroit; Nicole O'Neill, age 33, of Detroit, and Christian Rasnick, age 19, of Trenton will all face felony charges in connection to Madrigal's murder.

The Detroit Free Press has more on this story here. My deepest gratitude goes out to each of the police officers who worked to bring these three individuals to justice.

Chyna comes to Detroit this Friday

Chyna - Photo by Pinguino K

Actress and former WWE superstar Chyna will make a special appearance at the Toy Chest Bar (18728 Ford Rd.). The wrestling legend will be there this Friday evening, March 11.

Doors will open for Chyna's appearance at 7 p.m. A special meet and greet will happen for fans a little later with entertainment continuing until 2 a.m.

Chyna, of course, came to prominence with the WWE in 1997 as part of the D-Generation X. She later appeared on The Howard Stern Show, two episodes of Pacific Blue, and 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Since her retirement in 2011, Chyna has been teaching English in Japan. This Friday will be her only scheduled appearance in the Detroit area.

Toy Chest Bar is located on the north side of Ford Rd, approximately three blocks west of the Southfield Freeway, at the southern end of the Warrendale neighborhood.

My pick for President

Today is the day.

Today is the day that voters across Michigan go to the polls to choose their preferred candidate in the presidential primary.

Will it be Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders for the Democrats?

Among the Republicans, we can choose among luminaries like Donald Trump, who recently spent time in Detroit letting everyone know that his hands - and, by logical extension, his penis - are all of more than adequate size. (Side note: I really, really wish I could say that I was making this part up. Sadly, it's all true.)

Other worthy Republicans include U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, and Governor John Kasich of Ohio.

Each of these candidates has their own set of pros and cons. However, in my opinion, there is one person who outshines them all.

One candidate with hands large enough to make Donald Trump's seem small and dainty.

One candidate with more experience than Clinton, Sanders, Cruz, Rubio, and Kasich combined.

One candidate who we can count on to lead us during our darkest hour.

One candidate who we can count on to lead us towards the light.

Ladies and gentlemen, I urge you to go to the polls today and choose Chewbacca. Let the Wookie win!

Recycling expands in Detroit

Recycling container - Photo by Frank Nemecek

The City of Detroit offered free containers for the curbside pick-up of recyclables to all who attended a recycling workshop last month. Those containers are beginning to appear at local homes, including mine.

All of this, of course, is part of the City's on-going effort to expand curbside recycling in Detroit.

The next recycling workshop will be on Monday, April 11 at Ss. Peter and Paul Church (7685 Grandville). Full details for this workshop are available here.

As with the previous one, all residents who attend the upcoming recycling workshop will receive their own free containers.

Rest in peace Ray Tomlinson, inventor of email

Ray Tomlinson - Photo by Andreu Vea

Ray Tomlinson passed away this past Saturday at the age of 74 from an apparent heart attack. Back in 1971, he invented the modern system of email.

He was, according to those who knew him, a very kind, decent, and humble man; one who left his mark on the world, even if most people never knew who he was.

The passing of Ray Tomlinson brings me a certain extra sadness since most of the people who read this blog do so as a result of email alerts that they receive when I publish something.

Earlier this morning, I decided to pay tribute to him by simply sending an email to a few people that I haven't spoken to in awhile. I mention who he was and essentially used it as an icebreaker to say hello to a few souls where time and distance have gotten in the way of our friendship; all sent in a message to their Ray Tomlinson-invented in-boxes.

The responses that I have gotten back have been nothing but touching. Every one of them has brought a smile to my face.

Therefore, as a tribute to the man who invented email, I want to challenge everyone who reads this to send an email to someone who has slipped out of your life. Feel free to mention Ray Tomlinson and his story and just say hello to them.

Because everyone can use an extra smile or two in their day.

Tip of the week: 3 tips to prevent buglaries

Editor's note: this column was sent in by Commissioner Ricardo Moore, who represents the Warrendale and surrounding areas on the Detroit Police Commission. It was originally authored by Investigator Brian Fountain of the Detroit Police Department.

Being proactive is the key to preventing home break-ins. There are only two ways to enter the home - a door or a window.

Tip 1: Secure the doors

Photo by Brian Lary

First and foremost, all exterior doors should be made of solid wood or metal. Hollow doors can be punched out.

The best locks to attach on the doors are deadbolt locks with a one inch bolt. Shorter bolts can be pried out of the door jamb.

The strike plate and the hinges are the keys to your doors not being forced open or kicked in. The strike plate and hinge screws should be long enough to reach the wall studs (usually, three to four inches).

This will help to protect the doors against a forced entry attack.

Tip 2: Secure the windows
All windows should be alarmed or have bolt locking devices attached. Window bolt locks can be purchased for under $20 at the large home improvement stores.

You can put a nail between the two sashes on double hung windows or put a block of wood in the window to keep them from being forced open.

Security bars are an option, but keep in mind one set should be installed inside the home and a child should be able to unlock them and get out in case of a fire.

Basement windows should be alarmed or changed over to glass block windows.


Tip 3: Watch for suspicious people
Burglars will always knock on your door before they break in. Watch for suspicious persons or cars and report them to 9-1-1 as soon as you are sure they are casing the neighborhood.

IMPORTANT: Your safety is law enforcement's first priority!