DPS teams up with police agencies to improve safety

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Detroit Public School students go back to school next week, but city leaders are worried students are focused on fear instead of education.

To combat the problem, DPS is teaming up with Detroit Police, Michigan State Police and other citizen groups to increase safety for students.

On Wednesday, leaders announced a multi-agency commitment to address crime inside and outside of the classrooms. “It’s not just a DPS problem. It’s not just a city administration problem. It’s our problem,” said Detroit Mayor Dave Bing.

The district is already improving its security measure with new metal detectors and cameras, but Detroit police will now share crime trend information with the schools to identify trouble areas. Three “hotspots” have already been identified near Cody, Denby and Osborn. Detroit police will also use their technology to track problems on social media like Twitter and Facebook.

The city administration is also looking at making safer routes for students when they go to school by demolishing abandoned buildings near schools.

Bing says the city will determine which houses should be torn down during the next two months, and is asking the public to help identify trouble spots.