Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.

The city is taking responsibility back from the state of Michigan for a detention facility used to hold people accused of crimes.

The Michigan Department of Corrections is ending operations at the eastside Detroit Detention Center in August after a decade. Taking control over the detention facility marks a major milestone for the city. The state reopened the facility in 2013 while the Detroit Police Department was under federal oversight for civil rights violations at dilapidated precinct lockups. 

At the time, DPD was required to make comprehensive reforms in response to excessive force and unlawful detentions identified by the Justice Department. A 2002 investigation of DPD holding cells identified concerns with various fire and safety hazards, finding “DPD holding cells are extremely dirty and poorly maintained.” Many cells did not have running water or functioning toilets, while meals were prepared in unsanitary areas and piles of trash attracted insects and rodents. 

Detroit paid the state between $11 million and $14 million annually to staff and operate the detention center. Council members authorized an agreement to purchase 49 acres of state-owned land for $1, which includes the two buildings at 17601 Mound Rd.

Detroit will staff and operate the central lockup site, which is designed to hold 200 adult detainees. Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes said DPD are being trained to ensure “what got us into this original arrangement with the state taking over never happens again.”

Deputy Chief Mark Bliss said Detroit officers have been consulting with the Michigan Department of Corrections to understand best practices. Bliss said the facility is in “workable” condition but will likely need upgrades, particularly a new air conditioning system in the building where detainees are held. 

The Michigan Department of Corrections is set to withdraw from the 2013 agreement on Aug. 1. The city is entering emergency contracts with vendors for medical staff, food service, custodial work and other operation needs. 

The DDC books, fingerprints and holds people for up to 72 hours before they are arraigned in court. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a bill that authorized the sale earlier this year. Whitmer said transferring ownership to the city would save state taxpayer resources. 

Representatives of the Michigan Department of Corrections previously told lawmakers that Detroit has a solid plan for taking over the site, allowing the state to deploy staff elsewhere. 

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Today’s notebook covers the July 15 formal session.

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Land needed for Brightmoor flood relief 

The City Council postponed votes on acquiring Detroit Land Bank Authority property and authorizing eminent domain to complete a stormwater improvement project in the Brightmoor neighborhood. 

The land bank is set to transfer 102 properties to the city to build a nine-acre bioretention pond to capture and filter stormwater from surrounding neighborhoods before discharging it into the Rouge River. The city will also acquire private property through buyouts and condemnation proceedings, if needed. 

Council members delayed scheduled votes to authorize eminent domain and acquire the land to provide more time to address unanswered questions. The Brightmoor project is meant to prevent sewerage overflows that cause basement backups and street flooding during significant rain and snow events.

Council members had questions about a vacant home that would be transferred to Crown Enterprises as part of a previous property exchange agreement with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for the eastside Stellantis plant. 

The land bank reserved land in Brightmoor for 10 years for the project, declining to sell property in the neighborhood to residents. The DLBA obtains vacant and foreclosed properties in the pursuit of selling them to promote rehabilitation and economic growth across the city. Detroit works with the land bank to place holds on property where projects are planned, which sometimes includes city initiatives like neighborhood solar farms.  

Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero said she has concerns about holding land for long periods of time for future developments while residents have plans and funding for projects that would also benefit the neighborhood. 

Detroit Water and Sewerage Director Gary Brown said the land hold was necessary so the city didn’t have to buy property after it was sold by the land bank. The city has been “very generous in our offers to renters and homeowners,” he said, but land speculators could hold up the project by sitting on land bank property until the price goes up. 

The city estimates it could cost $1.4 million to acquire all of the property within the project area, plus $1.2 million in relocation benefits for residents. The neighborhood is located on an ancient streambed and routinely floods out basements due to stormwater overflows, Brown said. 

Santiago-Romero said she’s also opposed to collecting land through eminent domain. She expects to vote against a resolution authorizing condemnation but said she supports the stormwater project.

Brown said “most homeowners are eagerly awaiting” to accept the city’s buyout. He said there are 62 pieces of private property to acquire, most of which are vacant. Brown argues eminent domain is needed to negotiate a fair settlement with property owners who may look for a huge payday. 

Brown said $25 million in federal disaster recovery funds were allocated for the project. The next three to four months will include environmental assessments before demolishing vacant structures. 

“We have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be the greenest city in America because we control so much of the land,” Brown said. “We know storms are coming, they’re gonna be more intense. How can we make more room in our system without building a gray structure that hotels sewage in someone’s neighborhood?” 

Council President Pro Tem James Tate Jr. said the stormwater project has “tremendous support” from the community.

Tech designed to prevent roadway crashes could save lives and money

A new alert system aims to prevent crashes between motorists and first responders. 

The council approved a $1.5 million, three-year contract with Chicago-based HAAS, Inc. for an emergency vehicle alert system. The system delivers real-time notifications through WAZE and Apple Maps, and electronic displays installed in Dodge, Jeep, RAM, Chrysler, and Volkswagen vehicles made after 2019. 

Notifications activate when emergency vehicles are approaching or stopped within a half-mile of the responding vehicle. The Office of Contracting and Procurement reported between $500,000 and $1 million is being spent on crashes involving emergency vehicles. 

Tony Watts, special projects director for the Detroit Fire Department, said it’s a relatively new technology that could be expanded to additional applications and infotainment systems on other vehicle types. Dearborn recently installed the transponders in 300 vehicles, Watts said. 

“If we’re able to avoid one accident, one casualty, that’s our return on investment,” Watts said. 

Council Member Latisha Johnson said she hopes the technology will help reduce the number of legal settlements that come from crashes. 

Council explores offering new lease protections for renters

Detroit lacks the legal authority to prevent landlords from evicting tenants at the end of their lease without “just cause,” according to the Law Department. 

Council President Mary Sheffield asked city attorneys to review a proposal to give tenants a legal right to renew their lease after it expires. Landlord-tenant law is dictated by the state, according to the analysis. 

However, the Law Department found there are ways to achieve a similar effect. The city could require disclosure of the terms and conditions of lease renewal 180 days before a lease expires. The city could also require landlords who don’t make a good faith offer to renew a lease to pay relocation assistance to the aggrieved tenants. 

Sheffield has been trying for several years to introduce a proposal based on an ordinance passed in Ann Arbor.

The Ann Arbor law was the first of its kind in Michigan and requires landlords to offer tenants a lease renewal 180 days prior to their lease end date. It also prohibits landlords from denying a renewal without just cause. Landlords who don’t comply can be responsible for paying tenants’ relocation fees.