Farmington Hills Police Chief Calls One 2012 Report Statistic 'Amazing'

Farmington Hills Police Chief Chuck Nebus told city officials Monday that in 2012, for the first time in 34 years, no one died as the result of a vehicle accident on city roads. 

While delivering his department's 2012 annual report, Nebus called that an "amazing statistic". "In the 1980s and 1990s, some years, we had 10 to 15," he added. 

Passage of a 2011 public safety millage allowed the department to replace all 14 employees who retired in recent years, something put on hold as the city dealt with tighter budgets. Nebus said traffic offenses were up 53 percent last year, due to the larger number of officers on the street.

Drug complaints rose more than 40 percent, driven by the state's new medical marijuana law, and an increasing number of identity thefts contributed to a overall 3 percent increase in "Group A" or more serious crimes. However, violent crimes like forcible sex offenses, assaults and robbery showed significant reductions. 

Virtually every category of crime has seen reductions over the past five years. "One year doesn't always tell the story," Nebus said. 

Farmington Hills ranked as Michigan's 4th safest city in an annual report issued by CQ Press, Nebus said. The department also received a 2012 Voice of the People award for exemplary service, based on community surveys conducted in hundreds of cities across the country, he added. 

With the addition of providing dispatch services for Farmington Public Safety, "Farmington Hills now has the largest public safety answering point by a city in Oakland County," Nebus said. The center handled more than 40,000 calls in 2012, including 38,812 9-1-1 calls. 

One of those calls came from the home where Robert Cipriano died. Robert's son Tucker and Tucker's friend Mitchell Young will go to trial later this year on felony charges stemming from the attack. 

"When that call came in ... we had 40 people come in, and within six hours, we had a suspect in custody," Nebus said. 

The complete 2012 report is online at fhgov.com.