Dearborn Heights City Council members and residents pressed city leaders Tuesday over a summer spike in shootings, reckless driving and short-stay rentals linked by several speakers to neighborhood disorder, while voting to buy new encrypted police radios.

Residents detailed recent shootings, late-night reckless driving and problems around short-term rentals; several called for more patrols and quicker hiring. The council approved purchases the police department said are needed to meet an upcoming state encryption requirement for public-safety radios.

The meeting opened to repeated public comments about neighborhood public-safety concerns. Resident Angela Venegas told the council, “...the gun involvement in the neighborhood has gotten really bad. Both North and South End.” Others reported daytime and nighttime reckless driving and a recent multi-car crash on Kingsbury.

The chief of police (identified in the meeting transcript as “Chief”) described enforcement and staffing efforts and said the department had made multiple recent drunk-driving arrests: “As far as the shootings, the crime rates went up. We've had a couple incidents. Summertime's around. People are drinking a little bit more...We apprehended the guy. He was charged.” The chief said the department is “proactive” and has increased enforcement activity.

Council members and the chief discussed reserves and cadets. Council members asked whether reserve officers can issue tickets; staff noted local policy and union rules limit reserve powers in Dearborn Heights, though other Michigan communities allow fuller power for reserve units. “Reserve cannot write tickets,” a council staff member said at the meeting; a separate speaker noted some municipalities set reserve powers in local policy.

Equipment and staffing actions: the council voted to buy 28 mobile radios that staff said are required by a state “encryption” mandate and approved an ammunition purchase for training. Councilman Hassan Ahmad moved the radios purchase; Councilman Hassan Saab seconded. The motion authorized payment from a traffic-immobilization fund (GL account 266266830060) and passed. The chief told the council the state mandate will require encrypted radios statewide and that the city will need additional radios later to complete the upgrade.

The chief also said the department is pursuing grant funding to hire additional officers; staff said an application could add six officers funded for up to three years and the city expects a decision this summer. “We do have a grant that we're working on that we're almost like 90% there to hire 6 more additional police officers and the grant pays for the officers for up to 3 years,” the chief said.

What council members asked for next: written fund balances and line‑item details before approval of large purchases, clearer timelines on hiring and training, and follow-up on whether reserve/volunteer policies could be revised to expand enforcement capacity. Treasurer Lisa Hicks Clayton told the council she will provide GL balances and cautioned that some funds are restricted to specific police-related purposes.

The council also authorized the police ammunition purchase and an immediate budget amendment shifting existing line items to cover a small tuition reimbursement item discussed earlier in the meeting. Several council members asked that future procurement and budget items include the originating GL account balance and the remaining balance that will result after a payment.

The council closed the item by directing staff to provide more detailed funding backup for future equipment purchases and to return with updates on the hiring grant and on options for reserve/cadet authority.

Ending: Council members and residents said they expect more visible enforcement this summer and more regular updates from police and finance staff. The chief promised follow-up on hiring and equipment timetables; the council asked for the detailed fund balances before similar purchases are approved.