KALAMAZOO, MI --

When spring arrived in Kalamazoo last year, tension was already on the rise in the Edison neighborhood.

In March and April 2014, there were 36 shots-fired incidents in the neighborhood -- nearly three times as many as the previous year.

Then on Memorial Day, Michael Day was shot and killed.

And the murder of the 13-year-old Milwood Middle School student, during a feud between rival gangs, set the stage for a summer of gun violence and gang activity in the neighborhood.

It got to the point that Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers who patrolled the neighborhood hung a sign in the Bryant Street police station that read, "Nights Without Shots Fired."

The number rarely got above one or two.

But officers have seen a drastic change in 2015.

"I say it with a little bit of trepidation, but crime right now is down. I'm not hearing the chatter among the officers around gun violence as much this year," Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley said.

The statistics back it up. Between Jan. 1 and May 18, 2015, there were 37 shots-fired incidents in the Edison neighborhood -- a 41 percent decrease from the 63 incidents in 2014.

"I think you see ebbs and flows in the crime that happens in the neighborhood," said Sgt. Paul Bianco, who is assigned to Zone 2, which includes the Edison neighborhood. "For example, 10 years ago on Hays Park, if you came down, there would be a lot of people, a lot of issues, a lot of calls for service ... But now, even today, there were a lot of kids coming home from school and we just were talking to them in a pleasant manner."

Michael Day

Tammy Taylor, director of the Edison Neighborhood Association, said the reduction in crime has been "amazing."

"If you look at the crime reports, the pages are getting thinner and thinner," she said. "I think it's because we are all working together."

'Putting their arms around one another'

The Michael Day tragedy may have sparked an increase in gun violence in segments of the Edison neighborhood in 2014, but it also unified the rest of the neighborhood, Hadley said.

"In the neighborhood, they have put their arms around one another more, because of some of the things that happened last year, specifically Michael Day," Hadley said. "That's nice to see -- people who care about their neighborhood and addressing the challenges they face there."

Related: Violence, gang activity plague Edison in 2014

Hadley said the convictions of three people involved in the fatal shooting may have been a wake-up call to gang members in the community.

"Other folks involved in that environment might start thinking, 'I don't want to be that person. I don't want to go to prison for the rest of my life,'" Hadley said.

Rashad Perez, 19, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison.

Co-defendant Octavius Snell, 24, was found guilty of gun and drug charges, and was sentenced to a minimum of 34 months in prison. He was acquitted of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of felony use of a firearm.

Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for 16-year-old Victor Garay, who police say fired the fatal shot and was found guilty of first-degree murder. His sentencing date is June 12.

Police interacting with the community

Hadley said Kalamazoo Public Safety's community policing strategy is working in Edison.

"Our approach is really simple. It's all about building a relationship with the community," Hadley said.

Capt. Jim Mallery, commander of the KDPS operations division, said officers are on foot or on bicycles more often in the neighborhood now in order to be approachable and visible. They are making an effort to get to know the people in the community.

During every shift, officers are asked to knock on doors and make connections with residents in two blocks of their patrol zone. Mallery said if that happens, every house in the city will be visited twice each year.

And the officers are having fun engaging with the community, like playing 3-on-3 basketball with residents, Mallery said. A group of officers from Zone 2 recently took several Edison neighborhood youth and their parents on a golf outing to Milham Golf Course. Many of the children had relatives who are incarcerated.

"Historically most interaction police officers might have with citizens is in an enforcement situation or emergency response. We're looking at ways of getting officers in front of people for them to really get to know each other," Mallery said.

And when it comes to addressing crime, police are "laser-focused on people we feel or know have a propensity for violence," Hadley said.

Hadley said in the past if there was a string of violent incidents in an area, they would flood it with police cars and "stop everything that moves." Now, the officers are putting their energy into targeting the people who are causing the problems.

"There is a relatively low percentage of people engaged in the criminal activity in Edison and we want to target them," Mallery said.

The relationships that officers have built in the community have helped in tracking down criminals and reducing crime.

"Sometimes when we've talked to people on the street, just gone up to their door and introduced ourselves, they might now consider calling us with information or letting us know something is going on," said Officer Jason Gates, who is assigned to Zone 2. "That happens quite frequently in this area."

Taylor said people in the community are noticing the police's efforts.

"They are interacting with the community versus driving by in a car," Taylor said. "I think residents are becoming more comfortable talking about issues and reporting issues to the police."

Kimberly Whittaker has lived in the Edison neighborhood on and off for 16 years. She said she appreciates the police trying to connect with the community.

"It isn't always about harassing the youth. They (police) are actually trying to curb violence," Whittaker said.

Still, Whittaker has concerns about the neighborhood.

"I'm concerned about my children and grandchildren," she said. "My 16-year-old son that is trying to focus on school, he stays at school because there's nothing to do in the neighborhood and he would have to walk through these areas."

Transforming the neighborhood

Taylor said while the neighborhood still has some problems, it is heading in the right direction.

She says the neighborhood cleanup projects, garden plantings and neighborhood watch group are having an impact. Improvement of Washington Square also is key in the improvement of the area, Taylor said.

Several new businesses have opened, including Jersey Giant Subs, Tremolo Guitar Shop, the Community Promise Credit Union, a belly dance studio and the Artisan Market.

Taylor said the neighborhood association is trying to obtain grant funding to provide further improvements to Washington Square, such as adding bicycle racks, garbage cans, picnic tables and benches.

"We want the area to be more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing," Taylor said. "We want it to be the go-to place in the city."