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Casinos Drain Veteran Officers

"Although each casino pays $4 million a year for the police protection provided by the Detroit Police Gaming Unit, city taxpayers are spending more money in the form of overtime, as 100 fewer precinct officers work extra hours to fill all the patrol shifts.

"The casino cops patrolling the streets around the MotorCity and MGM Grand Detroit casinos are some of the most experienced on the force, leaving less experienced cops in the precincts, some neighborhood activists and two city council members said. "I'd like to see those experienced cops in the neighborhoods where they're needed, instead of at the casinos, which is by far a less strenuous job than being on the street," Councilwoman Brenda Scott said.

"…It was the Detroit Police Department's decision to assign more than 100 officers to the Gaming Unit. Under the agreement between the city and the casinos, the police department receives $4 million annually per casino. That agreement leaves it up to the city to determine the number of officers needed to patrol the casinos.

"…Gamblers at the MGM Grand and MotorCity casinos enjoy protection by some of Detroit's most experienced cops.

"More than two-thirds of the officers assigned to the Gaming Unit have at least five years on the police force, according to personnel records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. A total of 31 of those cops have more than 10 years on the job.

"Union rules require the police department to give preference to the requests of senior officers whenever a new unit, such as the Gaming Unit, is formed.

"Cmdr. Greg Gaskin, head of the Gaming Unit, said there haven't been many arrests made around the casinos because the presence of police officers has deterred crime.

"…Detroit is one of two cities in the nation that has created a gaming unit in its police department. Other states that have legalized gambling -- such as Indiana, Nevada and New Jersey -- appoint state police to patrol casinos..."

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