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REGULAR MEETING
<br />December 9. 2019
<br />major events like the U.S. Men's Senior Open and the Midwest League All Star Game coming our
<br />way. South Bend has become a destination not just for event -goers and tourists but for leaders
<br />from around the country and the world, as we hosted the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force
<br />on Automation for a key meeting, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's Accelerator for America
<br />nonprofit for its inaugural gathering, visits from officials and diplomats from the United Kingdom,
<br />Argentina, France, China, Israel, Germany, and more, and tours by some of the most accomplished
<br />technology investors and founders in Silicon Valley. More than ever, South Bend is on the map.
<br />Now, we have a once -in -a -generation chance to seize another transformative opportunity: linking
<br />Downtown Chicago with Downtown South Bend by rail for the first (1") time since 1970 through
<br />improvements to the last miles of the South Shore line. We are awaiting results this summer from
<br />an in-depth study now underway to help us envision the possibility a link that runs downtown to
<br />downtown, even while other alternatives are still being assessed. If this proves feasible, and if we
<br />can validate previous estimates that this can be done for $100 million or less, then we expect South
<br />Bend will see at least a four -to -one (4:1) return on this investment. I would hope that we can
<br />achieve this goal by 2025. The kind of growth we're seeing here doesn't just happen. It requires a
<br />vibrant civic life, robust quality of place, and a strong foundation of good infrastructure and public
<br />safety. When it comes to law enforcement and crime, the City's progress over my lifetime has
<br />been dramatic. When I was a child here, it was not uncommon to see over twenty (20) murders in
<br />a year —reflecting national trends. But sustained work across this community helped drive major
<br />reductions, most notably in gun violence. Still, my phone lights up far, far too often with the latest
<br />report of an act of violence in our City. That's why we built a community coalition around the
<br />Group Violence Intervention, a proven strategy that relies on close engagement between social
<br />services, law enforcement, faith leaders, and the community at large. Working together we have
<br />held down the rate of group and gang -involved shootings in this City, and I believe this program
<br />is saving lives. Our expanded street outreach team is connecting with even more at -risk individuals
<br />to provide stability and guidance. And this year we're enhancing our social media capabilities to
<br />pre-empt conflicts that start online and can lead to violence.
<br />Mayor Buttigieg went on, Our City's safety depends on an atmosphere of trust between neighbors
<br />and officers. A resident cannot live well in our City if he or she fears being treated unfairly, and
<br />an officer can't do his or her job without the support of residents. To help build trust, the Police
<br />Department has worked hard to become the most professional department in the State, with new
<br />approaches to career path development and higher -than -ever levels of professional accountability
<br />and public transparency. We have become one (1) of the first (1") departments to establish an
<br />online Transparency Hub, with information on everything from recruiting procedures to use of
<br />force incidents. We've implemented body cameras department -wide and have encouraged officers
<br />to step outside the vehicles for over 7,500 foot patrols in neighborhoods and schools last year
<br />alone. Nearly a thousand kids last year participated in the South Bend Police Athletic League, and
<br />officers built new relationships, with events from small neighborhood cookouts to a record -
<br />breaking Cops & Goblins Trick or Treat night, welcoming over 6,500 people to Four Winds Field.
<br />In this City, we recognize that public safety is a community -wide effort. Our Fire Department
<br />responded to over 20,000 emergency calls for service last year, with a department more diverse
<br />than ever and benefiting from exceptional training resources. We continue to invest in the facilities
<br />to help them succeed, from expanding our world -class Luther J. Taylor Fire Training Center to a
<br />new Station Four (4) on the West Side with features to reduce cancer risk and improve health and
<br />wellness for firefighters stationed there. On the East Side, a robust and positive community
<br />dialogue resulted in a Fire Station Nine (9) that we look forward to opening this summer, featuring
<br />a water -facing boat truck garage to quickly respond to water rescue emergencies. Our river rescue
<br />unit continues to be a national leader in training, and members of the swift water rescue team were
<br />deployed to North Carolina as part of the response to Hurricane Florence, helping to rescue over
<br />one hundred and sixty (160) people. The department remains focused on prevention, with smoke
<br />alarm blitzes in different neighborhoods, to install thousands of smoke alarms and carbon
<br />monoxide alarms since 2012. We have attained one (1) of the highest ratings in the State from the
<br />ISO, and will pursue an even higher designation soon, reflecting our safer City and helping lower
<br />insurance costs for residents. We are also developing an innovative community paramedicine
<br />program to help avoid ER visits and ambulance trips for frequent users of EMS. By serving and
<br />redirecting individuals with non -emergency needs, the program frees up 911 callers and hospital
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