By Joe Guillen and Gina Damron, Detroit Free Press
March 26--A new fleet of ambulances and 100 new police cruisers soon will be on Detroit's streets to reduce crime and improve emergency response times, thanks to an $8-million donation from private businesses, Mayor Dave Bing announced Monday.
With 23 new ambulances, the city will replace its entire fleet, which is plagued by vehicles that break down frequently and have more than 250,000 miles on them, officials said.
"This is not about downtown; this is not about Midtown; this is about the neighborhoods, so we can go out into these neighborhoods and let our people know that we support them, and we have not forgotten about them," Bing said alongside several business leaders and public safety officials at a news conference.
Bing said the donation shows the city and business community are working together to address Detroiters' top concern: crime.
The announcement fell on the same day Kevyn Orr, Detroit's new emergency financial manager, started work. Orr was not at the news conference, but he and Bing later met jointly with reporters Monday.
The new vehicles will be outfitted with top-of-the-line equipment and should be ready for use in the next two to four months, said Roger Penske, founder and chairman of Penske Corp., the Bloomfield Hills-based transportation services firm.
Along with Penske, other companies that contributed include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; Chrysler; Ford; General Motors; Quicken Loans; the Kresge Foundation, and Platinum Equity.
"We believe these additional vehicles will enhance the visibility of the police and fire efforts in the city of Detroit, improve safety and security in our neighborhoods and have an immediate and lasting impact for everyone who lives, works and plays in our city," Penske said.
Images of the vehicles were unveiled at the news conference. The cruisers shown were Dodge Chargers, Ford Tauruses and Chevrolet Caprices. The EMS units shown were Horton Terrastar ambulances.
The city will not own the new cars and ambulances, nor will it be responsible for their maintenance. They will be a gift from the corporate community, possibly from the Downtown Detroit Partnership, a nonprofit corporation that helped arrange the donation, said Dave Blaszkiewicz, the partnership's president and CEO.
Detroit EMS Chief Jerald James said the new ambulances will be appreciated, as the city's aging fleet requires frequent maintenance.
He said the city has 19 ambulances, pushing five or six years old, on the road. Typically, an ambulance would be in service for two or three years before being swapped out, James said.
"These vehicles have exceeded their service life," he said.
James said the city is "holding them together" as best as it can, doing frequent preventive maintenance. Still, ambulances have broken down and had to be towed back, he said.
Ideally, James said, the city would have 25 ambulances on the road full-time. EMS, he said, responds to about 125,000 calls each year. James said public safety vehicles are crucial to reliable emergency services.
"Without the vehicle ... there is no public safety at that point," he said. "This is one of the most, if not the most, critical component to providing public safety."
Detroit Police Officers Association President Mark Diaz also welcomed the donation.
"We're thrilled that the ... private sector is taking an interest in rebuilding the city," Diaz said, adding that the key is ensuring public safety.
He said the department is "grossly under-equipped."
"Anything helps," Diaz said.
Monday's announcement follows a new crime-fighting project unveiled last week called Detroit One, which will consolidate the efforts of Detroit police, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Michigan State Police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to target the worst offenders in Detroit.
Three months ago, Bing and top officials announced plans to redeploy 100 more police officers to street patrols as part of a major reorganization of the Detroit Police Department.
The vehicle donation comes just after Detroit recorded the highest rate of homicides in nearly two decades. Detroit saw 386 criminal homicides last year that, combined with 25 justifiable homicides, pushed the city to a per-capita homicide rate not seen since 1993.
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