Over 900 illegal guns have been taken off the streets since Operation Safe Neighborhoods began, which seeks to reduce gun violence by getting illegal guns off the street and out of the hands of people who cannot legally possess them due to prior criminal history. Nearly one in three reported violent crimes in Michigan involves a firearm.
Operation Safe Neighborhoods:
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- Under the operation, law enforcement officials have conducted 9,405 check-ins with felony offenders, leading to the removal of those guns from the street.
- Michigan Department of Corrections parole and probation agents team up with local law enforcement statewide and conduct enhanced compliance checks on probationers and parolees who are legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
- There are approximately 32,000 probationers and 8,600 parolees, supervised by 1,000 parole and probation agents.
- The plan the department devised and implemented is aimed at focusing on high-risk individuals who have weapons possession in their criminal history that could be used to commit further crime.
“Michigan Department of Corrections agents are committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe and ensuring those on probation and parole follow the conditions of their supervision,” said Heidi Washington, director of the Michigan Department of Corrections. “We have agents in every county in Michigan, and this initiative allows us to collaborate closely with local law enforcement to stop crime before it happens. We will continue to work every day to make sure that these illegally possessed firearms are off Michigan streets.”
