Romulus residents call for larger police presence as crime rate falls

ROMULUS, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Romulus community is asking for more police to patrol their area as crime drops over five years.

Big picture view:

Romulus residents are calling on the city to bolster its police force and have a heavier presence in its neighborhoods, and it sounds like the police want to make it happen.

Romulus Police posted about it on their Facebook page, sparking a lot of discussion—from people suggesting switching up traffic patrols for more community enforcement to simply hiring more officers.

What they're saying:

The chief said crime has been on the decline since 2020, and they have increased their number of officers from 38 to 55, and they’re working to fill those spots.

"I think that’s right, and I think we should see more police officers out here. Why would you like to see more police out here? Just for the safety of everyone, to be honest," said resident Fernanda Castillo. "Me, as a woman, we would like more police officers."

"I think that’s a good idea. Absolutely, more presence of police doesn’t mean anything bad. It’s actually protection. I'm not saying Romulus is a bad city; it’s not. But if a city can afford it, why not? Put in some extra police officers on the street and make people feel safe and bring back neighborhoods," said resident Mike Ayoub. "Thoughts on how they should go about it? I couldn’t really tell you. I don’t know the first thing about how to do it other than they’d more than likely have to raise taxes. Nobody likes that. Nobody wants to pay additional taxes or property. What are you going to do? You have to compensate somewhere."

What's next:

The chief also mentioned in a post that the police officer contracts didn’t use to be competitive, but they have changed that and brought more people and resources on board.

If you’re qualified, they would love for people to apply.