Images of the skyline ablaze painted Detroit as a city out of control. I was born and raised here, this has been going on a long time. Throughout the year city crews remove the temptation for fire-starters. On the most critical three days, Oct. 29 through Oct. 31, federal, state and local police, and a virtual army of tens of thousands of volunteers, patrol the city, and there is a 6 p.m. curfew for everyone under 16. At last count 20 juveniles with outstanding warrants for violent offenses were arrested.
Statistics show the overall program is working.
In the past decade the number of fires has been reduced by 75 percent. Last year there were about 150 fires over the three-day period in a city that averages about 50 fires a night the rest of the year. No other cities face the kind of mischief night trouble Detroit experiences. In fact, an informal survey of several major cities reveals Halloween is, for the most part, just a normal night. Neither New York, Los Angeles nor Richmond, Va., report any unusual crime spikes on Halloween.