Self-defense killings in Detroit are 2200% above the national average
Guns.com
The law-abiding people of Detroit, Michigan, are fighting back against the criminals who seek to prey upon them.
Last month, the Detroit Police Department released the 2011 homicide figures, the numbers were telling.
Justifiable homicides rose 79 percent in 2011 from the previous year. That is, in 2010, there were 19 reported instances where citizens lawfully used deadly force to defend themselves. In 2011, there were 15 more self-defense killings, for a total of 34 justifiable homicides.
The Daily.com reported that the local rate of self-defense killings in Detroit now stands 2,200 percent above the national average. And Fox News Detroit claimed that the number of justifiable homicides in Detroit in 2010 accounted for at least 10 percent of the country’s total (see chart below for total US Citizen Justifiable Homicides)
What gives? Why are so many Motor City citizens forced to take the law into their own hands to defend their lives, liberty and property?
As Guns.com reported in the past, shrinking municipal budgets have caused the city to cut back its police force.
A decade ago, Detroit had 4,000 officers. Now that number is down to 2,700, with 100 more in danger of losing their jobs if the city doesn’t secure federal grant money.
While the population has certainly decreased over the years (1.8 million in 1950 to 700,000 today), the size of the city – 139 square miles – hasn’t changed.
As a result, police response isn’t what it used to be, even despite efforts to upgrade law enforcement technology.
According to the Daily.com, the average response time for priority calls in the city is 24 minutes. In comparable cities across the country, it is well under 10 minutes.
The law-abiding people of Detroit, Michigan, are fighting back against the criminals who seek to prey upon them.