FLINT -- After several weeks of communication about layoffs and down-sizing, the city of Flint finally gets some good news. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation awarded the city with $1.1 million for the new 21st Century Community Policing Program.
Flint Mayor Dayne Walling says he hopes to reduce the city's crime by 10 percent, and he plans to bring aboard many community volunteers to take on the task. "If we can achieve that of a couple hundred of volunteers being actively engaged in crime fighting in their own neighborhoods week in and week out, then the responsible citizens in this community are gonna win and the criminals will be pushed out," he said.
The grant will re-employ 18 of the recently laid-off police officers, and will create opportunities for the city to establish a police mini-station in each ward. The grant money will also be used to recruit and train volunteers and provide public safety presentations through the Flint Police Department.
The proposed community strategy is modeled after the successful Flint Neighborhood Foot Patrol Program that was launched nearly three decades ago. "This is a proven, effective technique in crime fighting and we are so grateful to the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for their generosity," said City of Flint Communications Director, Dawn Jones.
The selected volunteers will be trained to assist with answering phone calls and handling other administrative duties, but will not function as police officers or administer legal force.
