On Thursday, Michigan Governor Gretchen
Whitmer announced that more thab 550 illegal guns have been taken off the
streets as part of Operation Safe Neighborhoods. Since the operation began, law
enforcement officials have conducted 5,331 check-ins with felony offenders,
leading to 571 illegal guns taken off the street. During sweeps, officers have
also recovered illegal drugs and ammunition.
“As a former prosecutor, protecting public safety is a top priority,” said Whitmer. “By getting more than 550 illegal firearms out of the hands of criminals before they can be used in the commission of a crime, we are taking action to keep families and communities safe. Last year, I signed four commonsense gun violence prevention laws establishing protections for domestic violence survivors, universal background checks, safe storage requirements, and extreme risk protection orders. We will keep working together to reduce gun violence and save lives.”
Operation Safe Neighborhoods is a statewide crackdown on crime aimed at reducing gun violence by getting illegal guns off the street and out of the hands of people who cannot legally possess a gun due to prior criminal history.
Nearly one in three reported violent crimes in Michigan involve a firearm. This initiative builds on Whitmer’s MI Safe Communities program that she launched in 2021 to invest in local police, get illegal guns off the street, and fund expanded opportunities in jobs, education, and the justice system.
In Operation Safe Neighborhoods, MDOC parole and probation agents team up with local law enforcement across the state and conduct enhanced compliance checks on probationers and parolees who are legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
There are roughly 32,000 probationers and 8,500 parolees in the state, of which 20 percent have been convicted previously of a gun crime. These individuals are supervised by more than 1,000 MDOC
parole and probation agents. The plan the department devised and implemented is aimed at focusing on high-risk individuals who have weapons possession in their criminal history that could be used to commit further crime.
