11-13-72 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 13,1972 REGULAR MEETING - RECONVENED Be it remembered that the regular meeting of the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana reconvened in the Council Chambers at 8:55 p.m., Council President Peter J. Nemeth presiding. REPORT FROM COMMITTEE ON MINUTES Your committee on the inspection and supervision of the minutes would respectfully report that they have inspected the minutes of the October 23, 1972 regular meeting and the November 6, 1972 special meeting of the Council and found them correct. They, therefore, recommend that the same be approved. /s/ Peter J. Nemeth /s/ Terry S. Miller Councilman Taylor made a motion that the report be accepted as read and placed on file, seconded by Councilman Parent. The motion carried. CITIZENS REQUESTS - MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS Mrs. Barbara Vaszari, 830 S. Falcon Street, spoke on the problem of crime. She said that her husband was the victim of an armed robbery recently. She said they have talked to police officer; who told them that the Police Department's authority is only to patrol and correct. She feels more should be done to prevent crime. She asked that politics be taken out of the Police Depart- ment so that the officers can do a-•more professional job. She mentioned that Mayor Miller had campaigned strongly on the issue of law and order and said that his administration should give top priority to fighting crime. She asked the Council what they would do about lawlessness and juvenile crime. She said that she intended to carry on a vendetta against crime and that she would be back before.the Council again and again until something is done. Councilman Taylor thanked Mrs. Vaszari for making her views known and said that the Council is highly concerned about these things, also. He said he believes the Police Department needs an increase in man- power. He said that South Bend is one of three cities of its size in the country where there are more firemen than policemen. He also suggested that special task forces be created on the Police Department to saturate high crime areas at peak crime hours. He pointed out that additional street lighting in some areas could help to prevent crime. Councilman Newburn said that the Council is a legislative body and that they can only make sug- gestions to city departments. He feels that a better educational program on the Police Depart - ment would help in providing better trained officers and also favors elimination of politics in the department. Councilman Parent said that the problem of crime is very complex and there is no simple answer. He said drugs are a major cause of the problem and that schools are not meaningful to young people, encouraging drop -outs. The prisons do not rehabilite the prisoners and this is another factor. He feels the citizens must participate, working through neighborhood groups and support- ing law enforcement. He said when the citizens are willing to put up the money for schools and prison reform, we will see crime reduction but we will need a large amount of money. Councilman Kopczynski said that the Council can appropriate money for additional policemen;. but the Council has no direct authority over the Police Department. The Police Chief answers to the Board of Public Works. He said that the Common Council meeting is the only meeting held in the evening when most citizens can attend and many things are brought before the Council meeting over which the Council has no authority. Mr. Leo Wallisch, 446 LaPorte Avenue, also spoke on the problem of crime and said he understood Mrs. Vaszari's feelings. He spoke of incidents of crime occurring in the daylight hours. He said that parents are responsible for crimes committed by their minor children and that their names should be made public. He thinks that the Police Department should have more dogs, that the "frisk" law should be enforced, and that the Department should try to prevent people from converging in large groups which, many times, results in policemen being stoned. Miss Virginia Guthrie, Executive Secretary of the Civic Planning Association, said that it is her understanding that Indiana is one of two states in the country that allows a person out on bond to get a second bond. She said if this is true, we should contact our state legislators to see if the law can be repealed. Miss Fanny Grunwald, 227 S. Frances Street, asked how much power the state has over the Council. She said that in the matter of the train whistles and of the Associates rezoning, the State overruled the City Council. Councilman Parent said that cities and towns are creatures of the state but he said that the state did not overrule the Council in the Associates matter. Rev. Clifford L. Fidler, 1108 N. Lawrence Street, said that the result of so much crime is that people are banding together to take the law into their own hands. He said people are basically good but if they are pushed too far, they will act Councilman Szymkowiak said he feels sorry for the citizens and the small businessmen who are being hurt by crime. He said the fault lies with the parents. Children are not in school, they are walking the streets, and he asked where the parents and the school authorities are. Councilman Nemeth said that the answer to the problem lies with the state legislature. The police enforce the laws and changes in the existing laws may be a solution. Councilman Horvath said that the questions being asked here tonight are questions the Council can't answer. He asked that the police chief be asked to come to a Council meeting to answer the questions. Councilman Kopczynski said that the victim of the crime should be remunerated not the criminal. He suggested that the Council could pass an ordinance to compensate victims of crime. Mrs. Lucianne Fidler, 1108 Lawrence Street, said that her place of business has had the windows broken out several times and that a young boy has offered to sell protection to her. She has complained to the police but they say there is nothing that can be done. She complained of large groups of people congregating on the streets, causing disturbances and noise, with nothing done about this either. She warned that if some action is not taken, people will band into vigilanti groups. Councilman Serge said, as a businessman, he is also concerned about crime. He mentioned an incident of vandalism and property damage to a bank in his district where the police were con- tacted but no report was ever made. Councilman Miller said that he has done everything in his power to work on the problem. He said everyone is aware of the problem but people are against the solutions*suggested. He suggested the best thing might be to ask the Police Chief to attend a meeting and made a motion that the City Clerk be instructed to write to Chief Seals asking him to appear at the next Council to present to the Council the Department's program for crime prevention in South Bend, along with the crime statistics of the Department for the past year, and to answer questions of the citizens. Councilman Taylor seconded the motion and it carried.