Ward repeatedly called City Council members and the police department's anonymous drug tip line. The police did show up. And they made busts. But the dealing continued. Earlier this year, it stopped.
City records show that the property changed hands.
A new owner bought the house and moved in. But Ward is still angry about four years of deadbolting her door, of watching her car, of dropping to her floor every time a car backfired. Few properties seized The Detroit Police Department's forfeiture section works with the Wayne County prosecutor's office to seize properties where drugs are sold regularly. Under the law, police can begin forfeiture proceedings against a property if they can prove that narcotics were sold regularly at the house. If the owner does not respond within 20 days and post a bond to cover court costs, the house is turned over to the city's Planning and Development Department, which is supposed to sell the house.