New 7th Precinct opens on Detroit's east side

DETROIT (WJBK) - A new Detroit police precinct is now officially open for business in the heart of a neighborhood on the city's east side.

The new 7th Precinct sits in an old school building at 3501 Chene Street, which is near Mack Avenue and St. Aubin Street. The location of the precinct will mean decreased response time from officers, as they are now minutes closer to any given scene in the neighborhood.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Chief James Craig spoke on this weekend's violence. There were 17 different crime scenes this weekend. Twenty-one people were shot in total, and seven of those people died, Chief Craig said. All the shootings appear to be unrelated.

Craig said two people are in custody at this time, being question in connection with some of the shootings. You can read more about the various shootings that happened here.

Overall, though, Craig says the crime is still down. He says it is, in fact, decreased 16 percent since 2013.

In 2006, the old 7th Precinct on Mack and Gratiot avenues closed as the department's precincts were being reorganized into larger districts. When Chief Craig signed on almost three years ago now, he said it was a priority to bring those smaller precincts back.

"One of the things I was passionate about was neighborhood community policing and engaging. You cannot have engagement unless you have a neighborhood precinct in your backyard," he said at the ceremony.

He also said he expects the eighth precinct to be open and fully functional by the end of the year.