Governor Rick Snyder was in Flint to roll out a plan to fight high crime rates in Michigan cities. The governor presented his plan in front of a room filled with police officers, prosecutors, and other local government officials. The plan has 34 separate initiatives and would cost tens of millions of dollars.Governor Snyder wants to hire and train 180 new state troopers to work in high-crime cities, put more scientists in crime labs, and place parole officers in local police departments.
‘It’s law enforcement. It’s criminal justice. It’s crime prevention,” Snyder says.
But the governor says he also wants to link welfare benefits to school attendance, attack urban blight, and start up a $15 million urban jobs program.
“It’s education. It’s housing. It’s transit. It’s jobs, and a future for all our kids,” Snyder says.
The governor’s plan would focus first on Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, and Pontiac – some of the most violent cities in the nation. The governor says he will submit a budget request to the Legislature within two weeks.