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The author is a former reporter for the Detroit Free Press and The New York Times.
 
By Joe Lapointe
 
To get to the Real Time Crime Center in the Crime Intelligence Unit at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters, you take a couple of elevators up and down and then walk along some narrow corridors that twist and turn this way and that.

Then you go through a few electronically secured doors (click-clunk-bzzzz) to get to a windowless room with no view of Monday’s annual Freedom Festival Ford fireworks.

But Captain Kari Sloan and her crew of a dozen were not looking for the colorful, “Whoosh-boom!” explosions in the sky or listening for the “Oohs!” and “Aaahs!” that followed from the riverfront. Instead, they stared at 48 rectangular TV with live camera feeds from all over the Motor City.

Many screens Monday night showed people in the Hart Plaza area, the epicenter of fireworks viewing. Should the cops wish to study something questionable, the cameras could zoom in on the face
of someone standing there or sitting in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue or the Joe Louis fist.
 
Because three people were shot at last year’s fireworks and some previous years had more serious problems, Police Chief James Craig clearly increased security this year, adding extra
fences, more baggage checkers and plenty of officers from several departments in Metro Detroit.
 
It seemingly paid off, with no serious incidents reported, police said, except for four juveniles who were “detained.” The Free Press reported one arrest. On a cool and breezy summer night, with happy throngs
crowding downtown streets, Craig had to be pleased that one of the city’s signature events came off well.
 
“We’ve had our share of battles over the years,” Craig said. “We keep fighting the good fight.”

Chief James Craig gets ready for a big night.

Terror Concern

Craig spoke shortly before 5 p.m. at Cobo Center where he addressed the force at roll call. The mood in the big room was upbeat, with many dozens of officers shaking hands, hugging and sharing laughs. But Craig reminded them of serious concerns: “Something called terrorism.”

Along with Detroit officers, there were cops from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and the Oakland County Sherriff’s Department and the federal government and the Michigan State Police.
 
Outside, there were cops in cars and cops on horses and cops on bicycles and cops directing traffic and cops walking around with bomb-sniffing dogs and plenty of undercover cops, too, blending into the crowd and trying to look inconspicuous.
 
Along the Riverwalk strolled clusters of trainees from the police academy, usually in groups of four. They wore short hair, neatly pressed blue clothing, neckties and friendly faces.
 
The video room at the Real Time Crime Center opened last November.
 
Craig said Monday was the first time the extensive video technology has been used to monitor the crowds at the fireworks.
 
Captain Sloan said she couldn’t disclose the source of all camera views, but said some were city cameras and others were from private-public partnerships. The Center also monitors the businesses which pay to
participate in Project Green Light for special attention and fast response in dangerous areas.

Police cadets at the riverfront.

U.S. vs. Canada

This year’s festival – celebrating the friendship between the United States and Canada – came at an awkward time for the two allied nations.

In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has ordered stiff tariffs on imported Canadian goods like steel and aluminum. Speaking of fire, one of Trump’s top economic aides said two weeks ago that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada would burn in a special place in hell because he stood up for his nation’s trade policies.

Trump also falsely accused Canada of setting fire to the White House during the War of 1812 when, in fact, the British did it.
 
In a local wrinkle to the international hostilities, the Maroun family –which owns the Ambassador Bridge between the two nations – is vowing to fight against the new “Gordie Howe” bridge which Canada would finance to improve transportation and trade between the two nations.

Howe, the late Red Wings’ legend, was one of Canada’s finest exports to Detroit, to Michigan, to the United States and to Earth.

Presumably, Canadian fireworks viewers in Windsor -- on the south shore of the river -- had a fine view on this clear night with the light of the nearly full moon shining off the gentle water.

Had the Detroit cops on Michigan and Third wished to see the whites of their eyes, they probably could have turned their high-powered lenses to the near, hostile shore and those descendants of those dastardly British White House burners.
 
Alas, peace reigned on both sides of the border amid the rockets’ red glare and the bombs bursting in air.