Council president probing Detroit police over unanswered 911 calls before block party shooting

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Council president Mary Sheffield has questions for Detroit Police Chief James White after residents reported their 911 calls went unanswered during the Fourth of July block party mass shooting two weekends ago.

The incident killed two people and injured 19 others on July 7. Since then, police have bolstered their neighborhood response teams while elevating the priority of emergency calls relating to block parties.

However, the city council leader still has questions about how officials responded to the initial incident and the steps being taken to prevent more mass shootings. 

In a letter sent to White on July 12, Sheffield requested full transcripts of all 911 calls made regarding the event. This includes calls that community members claim were placed hours before the shooting. 

The city council plans to introduce the memo during Tuesday's session.

During a press conference on July 8, White announced a new strategy for cracking down on illegal block parties. The first step: making block parties a level 1 priority. The plan included an 80-officer neighborhood response team, a special car dedicated to patrolling neighborhoods and spreading awareness of the legal ways to host block-parties. 

But reporting on the department's action leading up to the weekend revealed concerns about staffing on the holiday weekend. Additionally, a supervisor's move to not take more decisive action at the block party - which was located in the department's 9th precinct on Rossini Drive - has also been called into question.

Sheffield is asking for a breakdown of DPD's regular procedure for responding to calls once received, as well as a breakdown of priority levels and what types of calls fall under each priority. 

She also asked for a report on the types of officers being added to the neighborhood response teams and if all neighborhoods have the same level of priority. Lastly, she requested more about the patrolling schedule for neighborhood watch cars and a list of Detroit neighborhoods and what priority they have. 

For information on where to watch visit City Council Meetings and Agendas | City of Detroit (detroitmi.gov).