People are finally feeling safer in Pontiac

PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) - Parents Emily Ruffner and Alejandro Gomez are no longer afraid to walk 2-year-old Maximillian around their neighborhood.

“I feel safer now because before, there would be gunshots at night. We couldn’t bring him out, now we can bring our Maximillian out for a walk. We didn’t go outside at night,” said mother Emily Ruffner.

For the first time in a year, they feel safer in Pontiac.

“You never saw cops or sheriffs at all before,” said Ruffner.

When the Oakland County Sheriff’s department absorbed the Pontiac Police Department on August 1, they added more deputies, more money, and cut down on crime.

Since the takeover, almost 300 arrests have been made. Those people committing new crimes and those offenders who had outstanding warrants.

“They come very fast,” said Jeanette Daniels who has lived in Pontiac for almost 40 years. “They are here with the dogs. They don’t play, they’re good,” she said.

Before August, the average response time for a 9-1-1 call in Pontiac was 69 minutes. The Sheriff’s Department has drastically cut that time down to just under 12 minutes.

“They’re up and down the streets during the day, at night. Really cracking down on crime, I like that,” said William Daniels.

Even though there is still a lot of work to do, people tell us they are happy. We had a difficult time finding anyone to tell us they did not like the change from Pontiac Police to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.

“It’s still not the best neighborhood, but it’s not as bad as it was. It was definitely a difference, definitely,” said Ruffner.

It has been a big enough difference that families don’t feel so afraid anymore.