05-09-05 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETINGMAY 9, 2005 that you know that may work at any of the wonderful institutions in this wonderful City, please extend to them thanks and appreciation for the hard work and job that they do. Ms. Christine Voorde, President, Our Lady of Peace Hospital. Ms. Voorde stated that Our Lady of Peace Hospital is affiliated with St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, and she didoed Nancy Hellyer’s comments. Councilmember Kelly made a motion to adopt this Resolution by acclamation. Councilmember Varner seconded the motion which carried. RESOLUTION NO. 3453-05 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, PUBLICLY COMMENDING ALL OF THE INDIVIDUALS DILIGENTLY WORKING ON THE PROJECT DISARM TASK FORCE Whereas, the South Bend Common Council recognizes that approximately one year ago, the South Bend Police Department joined forces with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE), the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office, and area law enforcement agencies to form a Project Disarm Task Force aimed at reducing violent crime and removing illegal guns from our streets and neighborhoods; and Whereas, gun and violence intervention programs like Project Disarm work to guarantee that gun-wielding criminals receive the maximum punishment possible for possessing firearms since the program is designed to place such individuals into the federal prosecution system and the federal justice system because their penalties are much more severe; and Whereas, Project Disarm should be considered as one tool in a toolbox of many different programs and different strategies which police departments can deploy to effectively address the issue of gun violence in our community; and Whereas, the Common Council is proud to acknowledge that the “swift and successful results in the courtroom” have become the rule for cases brought by this federally financed law enforcement effort specifically aimed at reducing illegal guns and gun violence with the Project Disarm Task Force “racking up impressive numbers of arrests, convictions and confiscated weapons, including machine guns, assault rifles and a gun that was capable of firing a grenade launcher”; and Whereas, to date, 67 persons have been indicted or criminally charged with criminal violations such as illegal use, carrying, possession, or sale of more than 150 firearms; and several murder cases have been solved as a result of the success of this ongoing crime-prevention program. Now, Therefore, be it resolved, by the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana, as follows: Section I. On behalf of all of the citizens of the City of South Bend, Indiana, the Common Council hereby congratulates and thanks all of the very dedicated individuals diligently working as part of the gun and violence intervention program known as the “Project Disarm Task Force”. Section II. The South Bend Common Council wishes all of the individuals from the South Bend Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 5