DETROIT — As fans streamed into Comerica Park Saturday to witness the Detroit Tigers pull off a ninth-inning victory over the Oakland A's, Detroit police handed out flyers with a disheartening message.

"Enter Detroit at your own risk," the flyer read. It's a story that has attracted national media attention ,

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Financial strain in the city has impacted rank-and-file police in Detroit especially hard in recent months.

An unpopular change now has officers working 12-hour shifts, the city imposed a 10 percent pay cut, cuts to benefits and the number officers on the force is shrinking by the hundreds, both due budget cuts and attrition.

"The explosion in violent crime, the incredible spike in the number of homicides and for officers trying to work 12 hours in such deplorable, dangerous and war like conditions is simple untenable," Detroit Police Officer Association Attorney Donato Iorio told CBS's WWJ during an interview this weekend.

"By denying police officers the appropriate manpower, there's a manpower crisis right now, there's 1,000 fewer police officers today than there was 10 years ago, yet the homicide rate is higher," he said. "There's more crime now than before, so if anything you need more officers, not fewer officers."

Budget cuts of about $75 million translate to the loss of about 380 positions.

The union flyer attempted to convey the frustration of the department while at the same time appealing to baseball fans on their way to the game.

"Fans get tired during a baseball game, even if it's exciting," the flyer read. "Imagine working 12 hour shifts as a Detroit police officer — it would be more than exciting and beyond exhaustion."

Detroit ranked as the second most violent city per capita in the nation behind Flint, based on 2011 Federal Bureau of Investigation crime stats.

As of Oct. 6, Detroit police reported a 10 percent increase in homicides this year compared to the number reported throughout the same date in 2011.

A report from the International Business Times indicates tourism isn't Detroit's biggest industry; and it's unlikely the latest message from the police union will do much to improve the city's reputation as a vacation destination.



"Metro Detroit receives about 15.9 million visitors annually, and tourism accounts for about 9 percent of the area's 2 million jobs," the International Business Times reports. "The city's violent reputation has kept visitor numbers at bay, despite gains elsewhere in Michigan."