KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Juvenile crime is up and more serious than past years, according to the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.
Deputy Chief David Boysen says shootings, weapon offenses, and car thefts are all higher the past two years, with the trend starting with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boysen says they are worried because 14 and 15-year-old suspects are being arrested for serious crimes.
Crime with teens is up ! I live with a Kalamazoo teen offender. Just two days ago he assaulted us (his moms) in our home and I now have a broken finger. Two days before that I got another beating from him because he refused to shut his door after screaming obscenities. Days before that he destroyed his room causing $600 dollars worth of damage because he again was asked to please close his door. Month before that he knocked his mom unconscious because she tried to pick up a portable DVD player that he wanted–my 12 and 13 yr old daughters had to drag her limp body outside because police hadn’t cleared the scene. These are just within the last couple months. This has been going on for 3 years. Police come with at least two officers. We can’t have him removed without fear of losing our other children. He has tried to kill the other mom twice. However due to Covid things just get glossed over because there is worse crime for our youth. Kalamazoo county has set a precedent that someone else is worse and so the petty crime such as breaking into someone’s home or serious domestic assault is just accepted. We send these kids to court. We put them into a recovery court. We pay them for a good week and they become untouchable. They become invincible because as long as they turn the “bad” behavior around and as long as they try to do better they get sent home to do it all over again. The “ante” gets higher. Our son has actually brandished a knife and threatened to kill us. Yet still he is home. We as a community of adults and a system are failing these kids. Slapping them on the hand because Covid and lack of staffing prohibits a quick, swift and hard punishment is just giving them more opportunities to up their game. They know just a slap on the hand and a “now we know you don’t want to do these things” is all that will happen.