Warren Evans hasn’t been fired - yet

The Dyspathy blog, which is actually one of the best sources of news and analysis for stuff outside of the Warrendale neighborhood, has a post about how Chief Warren C. Evans will likely be fired from the Detroit Police Department in the coming days.

I think this is a real shame. This is partly because I believe Chief Evans has done a good job as chief of police, but mostly because his firing is being done as a political easy out to avoid any serious discussions about changes in the department (e.g., staffing, budget, etc.).

Warren Evans hasn’t been fired - yet

Chase Bank is Hiring

The Chase Bank branch in the Warrendale neighborhood (18016 W. Warren Ave.) as well as several other branches around town are hiring again. They are hiring bank tellers, personal bankers, and several other positions.

Interested applicants are invited to apply on-line at chase.com/careers.

Congrats to Rima Fakih, Miss USA 2010

Rima Fakih, of nearby Dearborn, became Miss USA 2010 last night in Las Vegas. She is the first Arab American and the first Muslim to ever win this title. Her victory has been the cause of much celebration within the Arab American community.

Rima Fakih graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn with bachelor's degrees in economics and business management. She is currently working in marketing for the Detroit Medical Center and plans to attend law school once she completes her reign as Miss USA.

Rima Fakih is the first Michigander to be named Miss USA since Kenya Moore of Detroit won the title in 1993.

My favorite factoid about Rima Fakih, however, comes from this quote in the Detroit Free Press.

When asked how she felt about winning the crown, Fakih said, "Ask me after I've had a pizza."

I have to love a woman who celebrates winning the Miss USA title with a pizza. Maybe we'll get lucky one day soon and see Rima Fakih at Gracie See or one of the other pizzerias in the Warrendale neighborhood.

I congratulate Rima Fakih and her family on this achievement. I wish her the best of everything in her coming year as Miss USA.

Metro Detroit celebrates Miss USA's first Arab-American winner | Detroit Free Press

Ron Scott Is An Idiot

Ron Scott of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality is, in my opinion, an idiot.

When Police Officer Brian Huff was shot and killed in the line of duty this past Monday, and four other police officers who injured in the same incident, Mr. Scott went to the scene and made a series of remarks to the news media. Several media outlets carried his remarks, in which he spoke about police brutality and police officers violating the constitutional rights of young black men.

Since then, there has been a certain amount of public backlash against Mr. Scott. He has since said that his remarks were taken out of context. Quite frankly, I don't have a lot of sympathy for Ron Scott.

There is always a need to police the police department, whether it's in Detroit or anywhere else. Citizen groups, such as the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, have a legitimate role in addressing allegations of police misconduct and ensuring that it never happens in the first place.

However, when a person - any person - is standing at the scene where a police officer has been killed in the line of duty, the only remark that it is ever appropriate to make is to offer condolences to the officer's family. For anyone to make any other comment, is simply inappropriate.

The Board of Police Commissioners, the City Council, and newspaper editorial pages all exist for a reason. They provide citizens an opportunity to air grievances and present arguments, even ones that might be unpleasant to hear. Mr. Scott should have made his comments there and not at the scene where Officer Huff was murdered, especially while his body was still warm.

Mr. Scott has spent much of this week attempting to backpedal. He has repeatedly argued that his remarks were taken out of context. He has pointed out that the first thing he said was to express sadness about the death of one officer and the wounding of four others. He has insisted that his comments about police brutality where made with the best of intentions.

Quite frankly, I don't care. Mr. Scott is still an idiot.

The only thing he should have said at that instant was to express his condolences to the fallen police officers. Everything else should have waited for a better time and place.

Activist clarifies remarks after cop killing | Detroit Free Press

Update - Saturday, May 8 @ 11:38 a.m.
Ron Scott and Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans were on Fox 2's Let It Rip to discuss the shooting of Officer Huff, Mr. Scott's comments, and the response to said comments. Video from that exchange, as well as video of Mr. Scott's comments, are are all available below.

Strip Club Manager Arrested for Hiring 14 Year Old

The Detroit Police Department, working with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, has arrested and charged the manager of All Stars (14541 W. Eight Mile) with child sexually abusive activity for allegedly employing a 14-year-old girl as a topless dancer, Chief Warren Evans announced today. The club is approximately seven miles from the Warrendale neighborhood.

Officers from DPD’s Mobile Strike Force and Sex Crimes unit on Wednesday evening arrested Andrew Hutson, 31, at the club after Prosecutor Kym Worthy signed a warrant charging him with a 20-year-felony. Because of this and many other problems at the club, Chief Evans said he will move to have the club stripped of its business and liquor licenses.

Andrew Hutson - Scum Bag

According to investigators, the girl has danced topless at the club for approximately two months, typically working several nights per week. The girl’s mother, who investigators say has tried unsuccessfully to control her daughter, says the girl suffers from mild mental retardation. Investigators say the girl would claim to be staying at a friend’s house and go to the club. On an average night, the girl allegedly would earn upwards of $350, much of which she had to turn over to the club for the privilege of dancing and to tip the DJ and other employees.

“It is sickening by itself that this defendant allegedly knowingly allowed a child to dance in his establishment,” Chief Evans said. “But to profit from it is a whole other level of exploitation.”

Once the mother learned what her daughter was really doing, she retrieved her from the club and immediately called police.

“The facts alleged in this case are truly disturbing because this is exploitation of a young female at the most base level,” said Prosecutor Worthy. “Our youth are not some cheap commodity, to be used and cast aside. We are sending a clear message that if you hire underage women you will face criminal charges.”

Detroit Police have had numerous dealings with All Stars, Chief Evans said. In the past six years, there have been three fatal shootings and eleven non-fatal shootings at the club. Consistently, Chief Evans said, club operators have attempted to thwart DPD’s efforts to inspect the establishment and have even filed lawsuits claiming harassment by police in an apparent effort to avoid being subject to routine inspections.

“It is exactly because of the type of alleged behavior we have uncovered here that we make a point of conducting inspections,” Chief Evans said. “This case clearly validates the serious concerns we have had about this club in particular.”

Armed with this and other information, Chief Evans said his officers now will begin the process of attempting to have the club’s business and liquor licenses either suspended or revoked, citing a clear pattern of illegal activity and a lack of cooperation with law enforcement. Last year, the city was successful in shutting down another night club with a history of violence and other illegal activity, the Platinum Lounge.

“Many of these clubs are centers for significant crimes, including a large number of shootings.” Chief Evans said. “We are heading into summer when that type of activity increases. The operators of these establishments need to understand that we are going to be vigorously enforcing violations of any kind and we will go after their licenses if they don’t clean up their act.”

Hutson is expected to be arraigned this afternoon in 36th District Court.

Detroit Police Overtime Reductions Save Taxpayers Nearly $7 Million

Since Mayor Dave Bing appointed Chief of Police Warren Evans, the Detroit Police Department has reduced its overtime spending by nearly 30%, resulting in a $6.7 million savings so far this fiscal year. The city’s fiscal year begins July 1st and ends June 30th of each year.

In the first three quarters (July-March) of fiscal year 2008-09, the Detroit Police Department spent approximately $23.3 million in overtime expenses, the vast majority on sworn personnel. Chief Evans was appointed just days into the new fiscal year. During the same period of the 2009-10 fiscal year, the DPD has spent $16.6 million. This is a 28.6% reduction, or $6.7 million in savings.

“Mayor Bing has directed all city operations to manage their resources more effectively and that’s what we are doing,” Chief Evans said.

“Without any additional revenue, we have returned 100 officers to street patrol and have registered consistent reductions in homicides and non-fatal shootings. We also have made great strides in improving our average 911 response times,” Chief Evans said. “The fact that we have been able to do this while reducing overtime expenses by nearly 30 percent demonstrates that the Detroit Police Department is beginning to run more efficiently and effectively.”

Chief Evans said he has been able to reduce the department’s overtime without negatively impacting services largely by moving the 100 officers back to patrol duties, which is where a majority of overtime is generated. He also says that stronger performance accountability standards and closer scrutiny of how and when overtime is approved has played a big role.

“In addition to relying far less on the use of overtime in general, we are being much more strategic with the overtime that we do use,” Chief Evans said. “We don’t want overtime to be an excuse for not identifying a more efficient way of getting things done. Overtime should be the last resort, not the first.”

Jeri Ryan is Warrendale's Official Celebrity

I always pay attention to how people find their way to the Warrendale (Detroit) Blog. Thanks to Google Analytics, I'm able to keep track of these things.

It turns out that one of the most common sources of traffic to my site is simply people who type "Jeri Ryan" into an internet search engine. On average, one new person every day comes to the Warrendale (Detroit) Blog every day as a result of this.

This is the result of my blog post last summer about 7 of the 9 people that I endorsed for the Detroit City Council making it past the primary. I entitled that post 7 of 9 and only later remembered that was also the character Jeri Ryan is famous for playing on Star Trek: Voyager.

Ever since then, there has been a steady trickle of Jeri Ryan fans coming to my site. They are a welcome addition to the hundred or so other people who visit my site each day for news about the Warrendale neighborhood and Detroit in general.

As a result, I would like to use my awesome authority as Warrendale's chief blogger to hereby proclaim Jeri Ryan to be the Official Celebrity of  the Warrendale, Detroit neighborhood. I'm sure Ms. Ryan will be honored by this, if she ever finds out about it.