Sterling Heights Remains Safest Big City in Michigan in 2024
Michimich.com/10310474

Trending...
Data has been released from the Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigation – 2024 Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, and the city of Sterling Heights is once again noted as the safest big city (over 100,000 population) in Michigan. Sterling Heights was ranked safest among these communities in both total property crimes and violent crimes, as well as safest overall.

From 2023 to 2024, property crime in Sterling Heights decreased 45%. In addition, Sterling Heights recorded the lowest violent crime rate among all Michigan communities over 100,000 population at 305 total violent crimes for the year, which is just under Dearborn, 15% lower than Ann Arbor and 59% lower than Warren. Sterling Heights also recorded the lowest property crime rate among all Michigan communities over 100,000 population at 1,387 for the year, which is 32% lower than Ann Arbor and 34% lower than Dearborn and Warren.

Sterling Heights is already one of the safest cities in the nation among cities with populations over 100,000. These most recent FBI crime statistics show a continued trend of safety in Sterling Heights.

"Once again being named the safest big city in Michigan is a tremendous honor for Sterling Heights and is evidence of what we call the Sterling Standard," said Sterling Heights Mayor Michael C. Taylor. "This distinction is a result of the hard work and professionalism of our police department, as well as the strong partnership they've built with our residents. Safety has always been a cornerstone of our community, and we remain committed to ensuring Sterling Heights is not only the safest big city in Michigan, but also one of the best places to live, work and raise a family."

The City's most recent resident survey from 2021 revealed 97% of respondents said they feel safe in their neighborhood during the day and 86% are satisfied with the overall quality of police protection in Sterling Heights, which is 16% above the regional average and 23% higher than the national average. In addition, 75% are satisfied with the City's efforts to prevent crime, and 74% are satisfied with the quality of their interaction with the Sterling Heights Police Department.

"Being named safest big city in Michigan is a testament to the men and women of our department who put their lives on the line each day to protect our community," said Sterling Heights Police Chief Andy Satterfield. "It also speaks to the trust and cooperation we share with our residents, who play an essential role in helping us keep crime low. We're proud of this recognition and will continue to work tirelessly to make sure we remain a safe and welcoming city for everyone."

More on Michimich.com
Over the past few years, several factors have helped control crime in Sterling Heights:
  • Funding was approved by City Council in 2021 that allowed for the addition of seven new officers who are dedicated to proactively targeting crime through the City and are engaged in additional community policing efforts through a community services bureau and directed neighborhood patrols who partner with bordering communities to support our department's efforts and reinforce the message that we don't tolerate crime in our community. New community service bureau projects including a video web series, a podcast and a bridge-building program for foster children have expanded the way residents and businesses are engaging with the department.
  • Sterling Heights Police Department has led the way as a pioneer in innovative substance abuse programs like the Comeback Quick Response Team and the new Re-Direct drug diversion programs. Coupled with the new Sobriety Court led by 41-A District Court Judge Annemarie Lepore, these model programs have been immensely successful in targeting the root cause of most crime – substance abuse – and getting addicts into treatment rather than repeating the cycle of incarceration, relapse and additional crime. As a result of these programs, overdoses in Sterling Heights have declined by more than 60%, while overdose deaths have fallen by nearly 50% since their peak in 2021. The Police Department, in partnership with Face Addiction Now (FAN), has been recognized for its critical work in saving lives and strengthening community health.
  • Sterling Heights Police Department became a fully accredited police agency from the Michigan Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (MLEAC). The MLEAC accreditation is a voluntary statewide law enforcement accreditation program formed through a partnership between The Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police and the Michigan Sheriffs' Association. The accreditation is a significant professional achievement acknowledging the agency has met 115 different national standards for operational effectiveness.
  • Sterling Heights Police Department was the first department in Macomb County, Mich. to launch a "transparency dashboard" accessible under the police department section of the City's website. The dashboard allows the public to quickly and conveniently view up-to-date information regarding the department's interaction with the community on items like calls for service, citations issued, arrests made, use of force or complaints. In addition, a digital crime map offers public information about police activity in the city in the past 72 hours.
  • Sterling Heights Police Department was one of the first departments in the area to engage with case workers who have been instrumental in connecting residents in need to a variety of resources that can reduce the stress placed upon them.
  • Sterling Heights Police Department is also actively engaged in researching and deploying other advanced technology to continue keeping Sterling Heights one of the safest big cities in American including the Flock camera system, the HAAS emergency vehicle alert system that notifies drivers on the road that an emergency vehicle is approaching and even AI equipped cameras that can help find lost children or locate suspects in crowded events like Sterlingfest. The department will continue to research the utilization of cutting-edge technology that allows our officers to operate efficiently and keep our community safe.
  • This past year, the Police Department completed a Community Mental Wellness Strategic Plan which led to the integration of social services into public safety efforts through creation of a crisis intervention team, embedding case workers to address residents with mental health needs and creating a special needs registry to assist officers in responding appropriately to homes with residents who have disabilities.

The UCR Program generates reliable statistics for us in law enforcement. It also provides information for students of criminal justice, researchers, the media and the public. The program has been providing crime statistics since 1930. The UCR Program includes data from more than 18,000 city, university and college, county, state, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies. Agencies participate voluntarily and submit their crime data either through a state UCR program or directly to the FBI's UCR Program. Data and Sterling Heights' ranking compared to similar sized cities in Michigan come from the 2024 FBI UCR Program and appear below.

More on Michimich.com
2024 VIOLENT CRIMES
CityTotal          Violent crimesMurder/Non Neg ManslaughterRapeRobberyAggravated Assault
Detroit11,5992036051,1959,596
Grand Rapids1,783121762281,367
Lansing1,506111171081,270
Warren736710448577
Ann Arbor35705824275
Dearborn30612738240
Sterling Heights30514120243

2024 PROPERTY CRIMES
CityTotal        Property CrimesBurglaryLarceny – TheftMotor Vehicle TheftArson
Detroit28,0354,57815,2638,194399
Grand Rapids4,8605243,58375350
Lansing2,7984721,60072635
Warren2,1112781,35547821
Dearborn2,0911181,48848516
Ann Arbor       2,0251851,7371037
Sterling Heights1,3871021,0502357

Filed Under: Government, City
Show All News | Report Violation

0 Comments

Latest on Michimich.com