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SOUTH BEND & SAINT JOSEPH COUNTY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION 235-9798 MEMORANDUM Thursday, February 21, 2002 TO: Edgewater Neighborhood Association Edgewater Liaison Members HPC Commission Members Exec. Director Rhonda Saunders FROM: Karen R. Hammond -Nash Assistant Director RE: NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME At the Neighborhood Association Meeting Wednesday, Feb. 20, the subject of neighborhood crime came up, and in particular a couple recent home invasions that had not been reported to the police. I understand that the people whose homes had been entered did not call the police, because they did not think much could be done, and did not want to be a bother. The conclusion of the discussion at the neighborhood meeting was that anyone whose home is broken into should call the police. -- I am writing to encourage everyone in Edgewater (or anywhere else) to report gilLcrime, especially something as potentially serious as your home being illegally entered, immediatelv to the police. Those of you who have not immediately reported,, should still do so now. But, in the future, please, please, do call the police the very first instant that you possibly can, after being aware that a crime has been committed against you, your property, or anyone else. For any home invasion case, even an old one, the police will send a detective out in a marked car to collect whatever information he can. The South Bend Police 24-hour general information number is 235-9201, and their address is 701 West Sample Street. If the police have prompt information of a crime, they actually fairly often can find and preserve evidence — such as fingerprints on a door, for instance — that might not be obvious to an untrained person, and they really can capture and convict criminals. I know that there is a perception among some people that the police must actually catch a criminal in the criminal act in order to arrest and prosecute. But the fact is that most of the time the police don't catch criminals in the act, but some time afterwards, based on information collected from objects and witnesses.