Contact: Darren A. Nichols/The Detrit News at (734) 462-2190 or dnichols@detnews.com.

Thursday May 11, 2006


Inkster Detectives Tony Degreco and Fitzpatrick McLaughlin review a cold case in the 3-year-old homicide bureau's new work space in the basement of the police department. The additional space is part of a plan by Police Chief Gregory Gaskin to reduce the city's violent crimes.

INKSTER -- The city has stepped up its campaign to reduce violent crime with efforts to decrease the amount of guns and drugs on the street and by dedicating space at police headquarters for its 3-year-old homicide unit.

The moves have led to a 57 percent reduction in street crimes since January, officials said.

City officials said the new homicide space will help their efforts to solve cases because it gives detectives the necessary room to plot strategy and store evidence.

About three months ago, the basement inside police headquarters was reconfigured for the homicide unit, which now has enough space for blackboards and other research materials for cases.

Inkster Police Chief Gregory Gaskin said the unit has a 70 percent closure rate and is focused on trying to close some old unsolved cases.

"We're a small suburb, but we have our share of homicides," Gaskin said. "What I want to do is prevent that from happening. When you work from a cubicle, you can't spread your work out. When you're trying to make a connection with people and events, you kind of need space to work."

The city, with 30,000 residents, set a priority of reducing homicides after an increase from six in 2004 to 14 in 2005. The city was on pace to equal numbers from the prior year, but seven killings in the last two months of 2005 raised the rate. There has been one homicide this year, Gaskin said.

Detective Fitzpatrick McLaughlin grew weary of trying to solve cases in a small cubicle because he said it was difficult to keep track of the progress of cases.

"This is a quantum leap forward, versus the way things used to be here," said McLaughlin, who has been with the department 17 years. "This is more in line with a professional homicide unit."

The new space is not the only change made by Gaskin, a former Detroit officer who took over for Marvin Winkler, who retired last year.

Since January, the department has focused on street enforcement, seeking to reduce the number of guns and drugs on the street. Since then, the department has been successful in making illegal gun and drug possession arrests, he said.

Resident Estella King said she's going to be patient with the new initiatives by the police. She understands crime can't be eliminated all at one time, but she has noticed more police in her neighborhood.

"At least I know they are trying," said King, 70. "That's better than what I've seen before. They're doing what they can. You can't do it all at once."

In February, the department launched a series of community meetings to discuss ways to reduce gun crimes.

U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy was among the local and national law enforcement officials who attended the first session.

The campaign, run by the Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, Inkster Weed & Seed initiative and the Police Department, keeps gun crime offenders on a short leash by targeting members of gangs and pressuring all of them if one is suspected of a crime.

"Our crime prevention program is in full swing. All of it working together, we'll see a drastic reduction in crime. Without any one of these pieces, we may not see a reduction," Gaskin said.