Detroit Police Officer William Booker-Riggs is one of the first police officers to take Mayor Dave Bing up on his offer to buy a renovated Detroit home at an affordable price through a new program.
"You got yours?" a smiling Bing asked Booker-Riggs on Wednesday night at an open house for the Project 14 initiative at the Doubletree Fort Shelby hotel in downtown Detroit.
"Yes, sir," said Booker-Riggs, a 15-year veteran of the department who has lived in Southfield for nearly a year. "The wife gave it a go."
Booker-Riggs said he hasn't selected a home yet, but Bing administration officials announced the expansion of the project, launched in February, from two neighborhoods in Boston-Edison and East English Village to four neighborhoods, adding North Rosedale Park and Green Acres.
Karla Henderson, Bing's group executive of planning and facilities, said the two neighborhoods were added to Project 14 -- named for a police code that means a return to normal operations -- because they had significant housing stock and officers expressed interest in these areas.
"This gives us an opportunity and a reason to come back to Detroit," Bing said about the program. "We're not going to force anybody to move."
Representatives from the program's partners -- including Huntington Bank, Bank of America, Chase, Art Van, and the United Streets Networking and Planning Building a Community (U-SNAP-BAC) nonprofit housing corporation -- attended the event.
The banks are offering various forms of assistance -- Bank of America donated a home in Green Acres; Art Van is giving away $1,000 gift cards to officers buying the first 14 homes sold in the program, and U-SNAP-BAC provides financial counseling to the officers.
Police Chief Ralph Godbee said he is excited about the program and the level of interest.
"Do you want the officer that's forced to stay in your neighborhood or do you want the officer that chooses to stay in your neighborhood?" he asked. He said the effort would only enhance the department's community policing.
The expansion of Project 14 provides exposure for the neighborhoods.
"That's a real asset," said Marsha Bruhn, president of the North Rosedale Park Association. "We're pleased ours is being showcased."
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
