09-01-10 80% of General Fund keeps public safety at full strength

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Pg. 2 The Police Department’s proposed 2011 General Fund budget will increase 2.54 percent to $29 million. The Fire Department, beginning in 2011, is proposing to replace two outdated firehouses. Plans are to construct new fire stations to replace Station No. 5, at 2221 Prairie Ave., and Station No. 8, at 2402 Twyckenham Drive. Other equipment needs include purchasing two new pumper trucks and a new ambulance, while continuing efforts to launch a departmental training facility. The Fire Department’s proposed 2011 General Fund budget will increase 3.27 percent to $22.5 million In 2010, the Fire Department is preparing to purchase a new quintuple combination pumper to replace a 1986 unit with help from a $750,000 Assistance to Firefighter grant. The “quint” will serve the dual purpose of an engine and a ladder truck, providing five functions: pump, water tank, fire hose, aerial device and ground ladders. The department also plans purchases of a new pumper and firefighter escape systems, but already has refurbished an aerial platform truck and bought a new ambulance unit. With help from a $450,000 federal grant, the Fire Department began using a new Emergency Driver Training Simulator, which is shared with other departments in the region. With a federal matching grant, police in 2010 implemented a $353,000 Automated Fingerprint Identification System for palm print recognition, expanding the department’s existing technical capacity to match fingerprints to federal databases. Working with private contributors, police also created a nonprofit Police Athletic League to operate youth programs for boxing and tennis, with an eye to expanding programs to swimming and fine arts in 2011. Reported incidents of major crimes – Part 1 offenses such as murder, burglary and rape – were down 12 percent in 2009. In fact, the total major crime incidents recorded by South Bend Police in 2009 reached their lowest level in at least 40 years. # # #