SAGINAW -- Saginaw Police say the number of crimes in the city dropped dramtically in the last few years . They credit the use of new technology and partnerships with other law agencies but NBC25 spoke with one resident who says more still needs to be done to keep his family safe.
"Probably once a week we hear gunshots," said Saginaw resident Jeffrey Reed. He says he just doesn't feel his neighborhood on the city's west side is safe.
"My kids are scared to come outside in the late afternoon. They tell me there's bad people out there,"
Despite Jeffrey's fears Saginaw Police say the number of crimes are down. They say the numbers are actually half of what they were seven years ago.
5,913 crimes were reported in 2005. The numbers started to drop every year after that except in 2008 and in 2011 only 2,848.
Saginaw Police Chief Gerald Cliff said stepping up community policing, technology and reaching out to the community helped.
"I think it's all coming together to make a formula of success," said Chief Cliff.
The chief says what's also helped to reduce crime is the number of neighborhood watch programs that have grown over the years. There are now nearly two dozen associations around the city.
But Cliff says the city is still far from being taken off the FBI's list of most violent cities in the nation.
"I want to see it continue to it's downward spiral and I think we need to retain the focus because could backslide anytime. We need to keep the pressure on.
It's the type of pressure Jeffrey is happy to hear about.
"I want to see more police presence. If I see three or four cops I will feel safe," said Jeffrey.
Chief Cliff says the department is also working on another type surveillance program that will monitor different parts of the city. It will work with Shot Spotter. It is expected to be up and running sometime in March.
