2009 - 2020 Dearborn Police Arrest Data

Dearborn Police Department 2009 - 2020 Arrest Data

March 20, 2021 we hosted our fourth data townhall in collaboration with Carceral State Project, Michigan Liberation, and The Justice for Gerard Movement.

Our work illuminated 11 years of arrest data received from the Dearborn Police Department, demonstrating clear trends of antiBlack racism in policing, and an overwhelming focus on policing and punishing poverty.

Partner presentations illuminated the consequences and trauma of policing and arrests in our communities.

Townhall 4_ Arrests.pdf

Carceral State Project Slides for DTH4.pdf

Findings

Finding 1: Black people are overrepresented

Dearborn's residential population is less than 4% Black. 54% of all people arrested 2009 - 2020 in Dearborn were Black.

In a typical year more Black people are arrested in Dearborn than live in Dearborn. In 2019 for example, Dearborn reported 3,100 Black residents, and 3,293 arrests of Black people.

Finding 2: Black Visitors are overrepresented

Approximately 22% of metropolitan Detroit is Black. Even with daytime visitors accounte for, Black people are overrepresented in Dearborn Police Department's arrest data.

It is also worth asking the question: why is Dearborn's daytime population so vastly different from its population after sundown?

Finding 3: More Black People are Arrested in Dearborn than white-Classified People

Despite Dearborn and Metro Detroit's large white-classified population, more Black people are arrested in Dearborn than white-classified people.

While many people explain the prevalence of Black people in Dearborn's arrests numbers by our proximity to Detroit, this ignores the fact that most of Dearborn's borders are shared with majority white-classified communities, including Detroit's nonBlack Hispanic/Latinx Southwest neighborhood.

Finding 4: white-Classified Women are Under Represented in Arrests

White-classified women comprise approximately 45% of Dearborn's population but account for less than 10% of arrests in Dearborn. Perceptions of white women's innocence likely impact this trend.

Finding 5: Most Arrests are for Warrants, Traffic, and Property. Not Violence.

The largest reason for arrests was warrants (25% of all arrests conducted). This category does not explain why interaction with the police was initiated, or what the reasons were for the arrest. Most often this indicates inability to pay fees resulting from previous interactions with the criminal legal system.

21% traffic
20% non-violent property
12% substances
12% other
10% violence

Finding 6: The largest categories of arrests show high rates of anitBlack racial bias.

The Dearborn police are focusing on nonviolent offenses and targeting Black people for criminalization.

Warrants: 60% Black, 38% white-classified
Traffic: 58% Black, 39% white-classified
Shoplifting: 68% Black, 30% white-classified

Finding 7: Most arrests are conducted along Dearborn's Border with Detroit

The Border Crimes Initiative Team (BCIT) conducted 73% of all arrests in Dearborn in 2019. This team was renamed the TAC team in 2020 and is tasked with patrolling the border between Dearborn and Detroit.

Full Data Sets

In 2011, reports were published indicating an overwhelming racial disparity in arrests performed by Dearborn Police. In 2020, our activists filed FOIA requests to receive all arrest data from the Dearborn Police 2009-2019. This request took four months to fill, and the data have finally been received! As we are just beginning our review of these data, we would like to invite our community to review these data and draw conclusions accordingly.

2020 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)

2019 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)

2018 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)

2017 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)

2016 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)

2015 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)

2014 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)

2013 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)

2012 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)

2011 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)

2010 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)

2009 Dearborn Police Department Arrest Data (PDF)