Detroiters can report city issues with "Improve Detroit" app

In Detroit, reporting problems no longer means calling 3-1-1; the city now uses a digital platform designed to make the process simpler.

The system is called Improve Detroit, and while it has been around for more than 10 years, city leaders say it's continued to improve.

"You see an issue, you take a picture with your phone, and you submit it into the portal, and it goes to any number of city departments that will address the issue," said Sam Krassenstein, deputy director for the Detroit Department of Public Works.

Users can report issues like potholes, broken streetlights, or missed trash pickup — using the app or the website.

The process is designed to be quick, starting with a photo and a few simple steps.

"You'll be able to see the request, you can see when someone responds to it, and you'll be able to track the issue to completion," said Krassenstein.

Once a request is submitted, it's sent directly to the department responsible for fixing it.

The city says each report is tracked through an internal system, with expectations for how quickly crews should respond.

"We have a dashboard that shows us, 'Hey, here's all the issues,' and we have what we call service level agreements for how quickly we want to respond and get those issues fixed," said Krassenstein.

Response times depend on the issue — some can be fixed quickly, while others take more time.

"If a stop sign is knocked down, our goal is to be out there within 24 hours to have that stop sign be fixed," said Krassenstein.

City officials say most requests are resolved within a couple of weeks.

"For most of the issues that people report, it's generally within like a two-week period that most issues are being closed out," said Krassenstein.

Users can also track their requests — from submission to completion — directly in the app.

"They can see the status, if it's an open issue, if it's acknowledged, if it's an active work order, or ultimately when it's closed out," said Krassenstein.

For city leaders, the message is simple: report the problem.

"We can't fix something if we're not aware of it, and so we would ask residents to take the opportunity and take ownership and leadership in the community and report issues," said Krassenstein.

As the city heads into a busier construction season, officials say using the app is one of the fastest ways to get issues addressed.