New Police Chief James Craig has been in town for about five months and he's already been a victim of an attempted carjacking. Welcome to Detroit!
There's an unfortunate saying among some of the newer transplants that you haven't lived in Detroit unless you've had your car stolen or broken into. I like to think you haven't lived in Detroit unless you've gone to school here, raised a family here and participated in an election here with a local address, but what do I know? I don't quite fit the mold of who's being quoted in the media these days.
Anyhoo, Craig revealed that he was the victim of the former sentiment while speaking at the kickoff for an anti-carjacking initiative in the city. He was sitting in an unmarked cop car when he was approached.
“There are certain cars each suspect tends to (be attracted) to, and I guess they liked my police car — a police car with lights,” Craig said. “And one suspect jumped out and began running toward the passenger side of my vehicle ... As soon as I saw the suspect running to my car, I accelerated out of harm’s way. And then, candidly, I got angry ... I said, ‘I can’t believe this just almost happened.’”
Craig and other officers noted that most carjackings have a few common circumstances. Drivers talking on cell phones or distracted, unaware of suspicious loiterers, are often targets. Thieves also rear-end other drivers on purpose, forcing them to get out of the car and become vulnerable.
Some other stats — like where exactly these situations occur, for instance, so we know where to beef up crime surveillance in that area — would be helpful, but we don't have that. I can hear some Detroiters already saying they've lived in the city for x amount of years without incident. But certainly this can't help our image.