Belle Isle is an island in the Detroit River between Canada
and the United States.
This was a great place to visit in my youth. It had so many
things for families to enjoy including an aquarium, a zoo and a botanical
garden. We even had Polish parades there on May 3rd to celebrate
Poland’s Independence Day even though Poland was under Communist rule.
Anyway, the island deteriorated just as the City of Detroit
deteriorated and for many years it was just allowed to rot and become a
dangerous place where families did not feel safe to visit anymore.
Last year, the state took over running the island from the
incompetent and corrupt city government; the island became a state park….the island
was now being patrolled by the state police and not Detroit police who never
really patrolled the island.
This week a few City of Detroit officials complained that
they were being HARRASSED by the state police while driving on Belle Isle. In
fact, the officials were stopped for speeding (35 mph in a 25 mph zone) one of
the officials was the new mayor of Detroit but he did not complain in fact he
apologized to the officer and thanked him for doing his job.
I was happy to see Letters to the Editor and a number of
columnists addressing the issue this morning and basically telling those city
officials complaining of harassment where to stick their complaints.
It appears that Detroiters are used to breaking the law
because they know that there is no police presence or that the police officers
that may be present could care less about enforcing minor legal infractions
when there was a homicide epidemic gripping the city.
The policy of “Broken Windows” where police enforce all laws
no matter how small and in so doing prevent larger crimes is a policy proven to
work but obviously in Detroit, the police do not practice such a policy.
The complaints about police harassment on Belle Isle are
very telling, especially coming from city officials.
The state police on Belle Isle have said that many of the
stops were warning stops; telling the drivers that a strict speed limit will be
enforced to protect the many joggers and walkers on the island.
Also telling was the fact that many of the stops for
speeding ended in arrests; not for speeding but because the drivers were wanted
individuals…see how the “Broken Windows” policy works?
Anyway, I am happy to see that the state police will not
take shit from city officials or the media; they are just doing their job…enforcing
the law.
Detroiters need to stop breaking the law and get used to a
new sheriff on Belle Isle…maybe the Detroit police department can actually
learn something from the Belle Isle troopers.
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