DETROIT — A program designed to channel federal funding to organizations in Detroit that aim to curtail homicide and shooting rates is reporting significant reductions: 83%, 73%, and 61% in some of the city’s most crime-ridden neighborhoods.

These encouraging statistics come at a time when Detroit is on track to achieve historic lows in violent crime rates, as confirmed by city officials.

The ShotStoppers initiative tracks homicide and shooting rates in the current quarter, comparing them to the same periods in the previous two years. Mayor Mike Duggan announced these results on Monday.

Launched in 2023, the program includes various community organizations such as Force Detroit, Detroit 300, Detroit Friends and Family, and New Era Community Connection. These groups empower local activists and residents to devise their own methods to halt violence, including fostering critical thinking in youth, enhancing employment training for adults, preventing drug abuse, and addressing community blight.

Additionally, the police department notifies these organizations whenever a shooting occurs within their designated areas, Duggan explained last week.

“Because an hour later there is often retaliation,” he emphasized. “The focus is on encouraging better decision-making. These groups have successfully mediated conflicts among rival factions, which is truly making a positive impact.”

The six participating organizations target areas that experienced high rates of homicide and shootings between 2018 and 2022. The recent declines in what the city categorizes as Community Violence Intervention (CVI) zones span from August to October, and the data is compared year-over-year.

Interestingly, areas outside the CVI zones also witnessed a 35% decline in homicides and shootings.

One notable success was the 83% reduction in the Detroit Friends and Family CVI zone located on the far northeast side of the city. This achievement was made possible through mediation efforts inside correctional facilities, youth outreach, and engagement with local social networks, as outlined by the group’s founder, Ray Winans.

“It’s less about what we communicate to them and more about what we learn from them,” Winans remarked recently. “We aim to understand their experiences. Our own journeys inform our support for them.”

He further noted, “These are young men and women whose brains are still developing. Our concept of leadership is non-traditional; we exemplify what is possible while focusing on behavior change.”

Tamica Nixon, 48, who has family living in Winans’ CVI area, recounted how the atmosphere has shifted dramatically in recent months.

“Not long ago, gunfire was so common it felt like a war zone,” she said during Mayor Duggan’s announcement at a local church. “Things have truly gotten better; it feels a lot safer now.”

The program shares a name with the gunshot detection technology, ShotSpotter, which has seen limited use in various U.S. cities including Chicago.

Violent crime rates have been declining in Detroit over the past several years, with annual homicide totals falling to their lowest since 1966, when the city recorded 214 homicides.

In 2023, Detroit reported 252 homicides alongside 804 nonfatal shootings, compared with 309 homicides and 955 nonfatal shootings in 2022. The city saw 308 homicides in 2021 and 323 in 2020, along with 1,064 nonfatal shootings that year, a reduction from 1,170 in 2020.

City officials attribute declines in violent crime rates partially to the hiring of approximately 200 new police officers over recent years and enhanced collaboration among city, county, and state agencies. The success of ShotStoppers further complements the overall drop in crime rates.

Currently funded by $10 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, each participating organization began with a quarterly budget of $175,000. Additional grants may also be awarded to those groups demonstrating substantial reductions in serious violence in their respective areas.

With federal financing set to expire in April, Michigan lawmakers in Lansing are considering a statewide $100 million Public Safety & Violence Prevention Trust Fund, which could provide continued support for the program. If approved, Detroit is looking to expand by adding two more groups.