Highland Park officer says reporting and cameras have helped catch repeat dumpers; residents urged not to confront perpetrators
Loading...
Summary
Officer Najee Malone described recent arrests and camera-based enforcement targeting illegal dumping, urged residents to report incidents by phone or 911, and said plate-tracking and camera alerts have enabled follow-up and arrests.
Officer Najee Malone told viewers that illegal dumping remains a persistent problem but highlighted several successful enforcement examples. He described incidents where people were caught in the act, vehicles towed and suspects arrested. "We towed his car, and he was actually arrested," Malone said of a case where a person dumped material from a U-Haul and was detained.
Malone urged residents to report dumping rather than confront dumpers: "If you see dumping, just call it in. Do not go outside to confront anybody... Call 911 if you see it." He described camera alerts and license-plate tracking that allow the city to be notified when a vehicle linked to past dumping returns and to 'swarm the area' to try to catch repeat offenders.
He gave one example of tracking mail and other evidence from dumped material back to an address in Detroit, and said in some cases officers issued large fines (Malone gave a $5,000 ticket example as a penalty he threatened to write if materials were not removed).
Malone encouraged residents to report dumping through the police station, his direct phone ((313) 465-0631), or 911 for active incidents so the city can respond and increase enforcement presence in problem areas.
