Detroit's Justifiable Homicide Rate Increased in 2011

DETROIT (WJBK) -- Detroit Police will announce later this week the homicide numbers for 2011. They will be 344. That's up from 308 in 2010, an increase of 36 bodies or 10 percent.

However, there is another category of homicide that is not in those numbers. This is called justifiable homicide. That's when a citizen takes the life of another because he fears for his own life.

In 2010, Detroit reported 19 such homicides, almost 10 percent of the country's total. Last year, it ballooned up to 34. That's 15 bodies or an 80 percent increase. Citizens killing citizens because they're afraid. What does this mean?

Former Detroit Police Chief Ike McKinnon says the spiraling murder rate is bad enough, but we should be alarmed at the number of justifiable homicides. Why? Fewer cops and runaway violence in Detroit is causing people to become the cop, the judge, the jury and the executioner.

"We don't want that to occur," McKinnon explained. "We want our police to stop the crime. We don't want the citizens to stop the crime. We don't want vigilantes to do so."

Former homicide detective Mike Carlisle says justifiable or not, 378 people were murdered in the Motor City last year.

"You don't get the true meaning of what the homicide count means if you're going to start deleting figures from it. You're getting a false sense of security, and right now I don't think a false sense of security is what this city needs," he said.

Chief McKinnon, who is also a member of the governor's financial review team for Detroit, says no matter how you slice it, cutting cops is a big mistake.

"Unfortunately, we have a shortage of police officers, and we can't cut any more. I understand what's happening with the police department, but we can't cut anymore," he said.

What do you think Detroit?

"If you don't have the protection of police officers, then you're forcing people to take matters into their own [hands], which is illegal. So, you're putting the citizens basically in a catch-22," said Detroit resident Tanya Whitfield.

"It's important that the citizens realize that although we are experiences these spikes in these homicides and the shootings, that the homicide unit is working diligently to try to close these cases," said Inspector Dwayne Blackmon with Detroit Police.

Click on the video report above to hear more of his interview with FOX 2's Charlie LeDuff.