[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18210]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           CHANGING THE TIDE

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, as Detroit residents cope with a rise in 
homicides and shootings this year, city police are joining with other 
law enforcement agencies in an effort to stem gun-related violence 
through a new program. Operation Tactical Intelligence Driven 
Enforcement, or TIDE, was established to help determine crime patterns, 
identify the city's most violent offenders and ultimately prevent crime 
in the city of Detroit.
  Operation TIDE, which began on May 5, 2006, in the Detroit 
Northwestern police district, involves the coordination of 10 Federal, 
State and local agencies. It is designed to use the expertise of each 
agency to better track and share intelligence on dangerous criminals. 
The U.S. Attorney's Office, Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, Wayne 
County Sheriffs Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, Michigan State Police and U.S. Drug Enforcement 
Administration are all involved in the project. To date, 115 people 
tied to gun crimes and gang violence have been arrested. The program is 
funded by a $600,000 grant through the Federal Project Safe 
Neighborhoods campaign against guns and gang violence and is currently 
being expanded into the other three police districts.
  Operation TIDE expands upon the current Project Safe Neighborhoods 
initiative strategy of suppression, deterrence, prevention/
intervention, investigation, prosecution and public awareness. Project 
Safe Neighborhoods is a long-term campaign that has assisted in taking 
many violent offenders off the streets of Detroit. Since its inception 
in 2001, Project Safe Neighborhoods has played an important role in a 
34 percent reduction in violent crime and a 73 percent increase in 
firearm prosecutions nationally. In the Detroit area, it has resulted 
in more than 800 Federal gun prosecutions. Project Safe Neighborhoods 
public awareness campaign has resulted in hundreds of tips leading to 
prosecution.
  Ella Bully-Cummings, chief of the Detroit Police Department, 
described Operation TIDE by saying:

       Our strategy is to supercharge our crime prevention and 
     enforcement efforts to reduce violent crimes using the 
     intelligence and resources of all law enforcement agencies. 
     Our police officers work every day at addressing active and 
     potential crime in our city limits. By collecting and 
     disseminating the acquired intelligence among partnering 
     agencies, crime patterns will be swiftly identified.

  I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Federal, 
State, and local law enforcement officials for their outstanding 
service and their vital contributions to the safety of our communities. 
Their commonsense approach plays a significant role in decreasing gun 
violence. I am hopeful that the 109th Congress will do more to support 
their efforts by taking up and passing sensible gun safety legislation.

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