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Marion County Public Safety Director tells me the city does have a comprehensive plan to fighting crime and it is showing results, despite the sharp increase in homicides.
Scott Newman made his comments this morning as law enforcement officials were dealing with a murder-suicide that began in the 5700 block of Georgetown and ended following a high speed chase at 25th and Pennsylvania; taking the city to 72 homicides this year.
Newman says the County is increasing the efficiency of the criminal justice system so criminals are not bonding out quicker. He also says they’ve added about 40 public safety assistants to take care of paperwork, freeing up officers to deal with the crime problem.
In addition, Newman says they have targeted 50 beats with the worse offenders, noting that about six percent of the offenders are responsible for most of the crime. Luckily the city is above the national average in solving homicides. The national average is 61 percent, while Indianapolis is 71 percent.
Newman also stressed the importance of re-entry programs for ex-offenders, noting that there were more than 5,000 ex-offenders released into Marion County over the past several years and 74-percent of committed another crime within three years of being released.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 am
The fact that our LEOs do a good job solving crimes is a hidden asset. They need to stress that.
In Indy, if you do the crime, you’re much more likely to get caught. That’s tremendous. Congrats to all involved in making it so good.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:16 am
“In Indy, if you do the crime, you’re much more likely to get caught.”
Too bad that they won’t do the time though. I like Brizzi’s idea about shipping gun thugs off to New Castle. See how they like it being “away from home” where most of their relatives and friends (gang friends in some cases) won’t be able to visit then in jail.
Until we start locking people up for some real time, and go back to punishment instead of “rehabilitation,” we might actually make people think twice.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
No sarcasm, Abdul? This is why I say you are somewhat biased. If there was a Dem in office, and that same news came out…you’d of gave some of your FUNNY (and I really mean that) sarcasm to go with it?
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Actually I was doing 20-million things when I wrote this and didn’t have time to be funny. But if it makes you feel better, wait until you see me write about this city’s financial situation.
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:15 pm
John Doe: Marion county accounts for about 80% of the people in the department of corrections. Maybe if we would deal with the problems before people get shot it might help. I don’t know who you talk to that tell you judges in Marion county and prosecutors are soft on crime. In fact prosecutors often would rather send an innocent person to jail rather than look soft on crime.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:49 am
Scott Newman seems to come up with a plan everytime something happens in Marion County. The problem is that they are just that, plans. No action, no results, no reduction of crime.
Much like the Peace in the Streets effort!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:01 am
Only 20 million! That’s 10 million less then me! ;) I hear when there are murders that all the detectives are pulled off of their other cases. This leaves the criminals that steal free reign to go wild stealing from us like we are a blind man. Community policing is what we need boys and girls! We need the at least half of the officers that live in our townships to be policing their own streets. Put the unpaid rookies in the car with them so they can learn from the best! They can then talk to their own neighbors to find out what’s going down in their own neighborhoods!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:14 am
Did I say half! Out here in the rim (Warren and Franklin Twsp are 2 that come to mind) townships that would be close to 80 percent of the force! :) The funny part is we pay a tremendous amount of property taxes and get the worst police protection! Sort sucks donut! <:
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:06 am
Don’t expect the Mayor or the police department to solve the entire crime problem in Indy. It takes a combination of Police, courts, judges and citizens. I have not heard anything about jail overcrowding lately, have you?
If one is arrested by one of our finest, then walks out within 24 hours, what good is it to arrest them? If you notice these same people commit’s the crimes in our city. I am all for this new program of helping them gets jobs but some will not show up for work after you help them get that job.
Aug. 23, (10am) I am holding a get together on the circle to show support of IMPD and our Mayor. I hope some of you that keep complaining on these boards will take the time to be there.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:39 am
“…and get the worst police protection! Sort sucks donut! <:” — Moneyguy, July @ 3:14AM
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The police have no ‘duty to protect’ us.
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Once you embrace this fact, life will become much easier for you.
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http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=police+no+duty+to+protect&btnG=Google+Search
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:32 am
Robert-NW Side
what you refer to is they do not have civil liability for not protecting an individual. They clearly are paid to do so.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:23 am
David Meyers, You Said:
Aug. 23, (10am) I am holding a get together on the circle to show support of IMPD and our Mayor. I hope some of you that keep complaining on these boards will take the time to be there.
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Will Mayor Ballard have Leroy, Bubba and Skillet behind him? Oh, I forgot, and Reverend Olgin Williams.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Hello True Conservative,
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Police are paid to ‘protect’ the public ‘at large’. They are not paid to protect any ‘individual Citizen’.
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You are quite correct concerning the liability. Thus, if they don’t ‘protect’ you, they (government employees) stand an excellent chance of prevailing in a suit.
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I invite all to view this 3.5 minute video at YouTube. It outlines the horrible case of Warren v D.C., where 3 women were beaten, raped, sodomized, and forced to commit deviant acts for FOURTEEN HOURS.
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When they sued D.C. and the police, the Court ruled the police didn’t have a duty to protect them.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb3rAglRsqU
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Nice, huh? D.C. wouldn’t allow them to be armed with a handgun or rifle; nor mace, pepper spray, or any other method of self-protection.
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Well….I’m guessing they were allowed to have a condom as a form of ‘protection’.
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Want more proof? Our vaunted SCrOTUS ruled in 2005 that “Police Do Not Have a Constitutional Duty to Protect Someone”. I offer the article from the NY Times:
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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/28scotus.html
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At the end of the day, YOU are responsible for YOUR protection, and the protection of your family and property. NOT the government.
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We’ve spent hundreds of billions of dollars on National Defense. What did that get us on 11 September ??
July 25th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Food for thought:
‘Constitutionally’ speaking in the grand scheme of law is a very narrow set of provisions. Officers are routinely disciplined, fired, sued, lose their homes, etc. when they are found negligent in circumstances involving injury. I can’t think of any specific cases off the top of my head, but it wouldn’t be difficult for an officer to be charged with a crime in a given situation if he/she is found negligent in her duty. The phrase used here is “acting beyond or out of the scope of employment.” Once you can establish that you’ve already found your way around the case law you mentioned.
Regardless of the fact, there aren’t police officers in every home and on every street corner and there never will be. Policing is the one profession where people get paid to do what is incumbent upon every (good) citizen to do. We aren’t directly and completely responsible for crime rates going up anymore than we are for them going down. Clearance rates for specific crimes are an indicator, but when people only do 3 or 4 years for murder in Marion County it really doesn’t matter how often you catch them if you’re just going to release them anyway…