New Strengths Found in Cooperative Efforts

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New Strengths Found in Cooperative Efforts
by Mayor Bart Peterson

This is a monthly message from the Mayor to Indianapolis' Neighborhoods

It’s no secret that I think community policing and code enforcement are essential building blocks to not only thriving neighborhoods, but also a city that offers its residents an unparalleled quality of life. This month, I’d like to share with you the work of an innovative new program that will link the efforts of code and law enforcement in this city.

In the past two years, I have made code enforcement a top priority of this administration, adding more inspectors and prosecutors, and better technology to fight blight in our neighborhoods. Our code enforcement team has made great strides in cracking down on problem landlords and developing specific initiatives like the abandoned vehicle program; however, it has found that the multi-agency cooperation resulting from these efforts is one of the strongest weapons to enforcing codes in this city.

Often, the work of our code and law enforcement teams overlap. Take Citizen’s Lodge, for example. At the same time this roach-infested motel was racking up code enforcement violations, police officers in the Indianapolis Police Department were making daily runs to this crime hotspot. Through a coordinated effort among both code enforcement stakeholders and local law enforcement, we succeeded in revoking the motel’s license.

Another example of the partnership between code and law enforcement teams is the Nuisance Abatement Coordinator, who brings together the City Prosecutor’s Office, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and the Indianapolis Police Department to plan enforcement strategies combining elements of community policing, community prosecution and code enforcement. And there’s the Indianapolis Violence Reduction Partnership, which coordinates multi-agency code and law enforcement sweeps in high-crime neighborhoods.

Building on those successes, the City Prosecutor’s Office recently applied for and received a grant to establish a City Community Prosecution Program. Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and administered through the U.S. Department of Justice, the program will be more proactive in developing code enforcement strategies, while increasing multi-agency coordination. A key to the program’s success will be the cooperation among the City Prosecutor’s Office, law enforcement and community groups, ultimately strengthening both civil and criminal prosecutions with information gained in code enforcement actions.

I’m pleased to report that the program was launched in early September. Because the grant funds new personnel, Kristin Givens will serve as prosecutor and Katrina Kimble will provide para-legal assistance, working with your code inspectors and law enforcement officers.

The input of the community is critical if this program is to succeed, because it is you who will help set the priorities of neighborhood concerns relative to code enforcement and nuisance abatement. Working together, I think this program will give your local government new tactics and tools in the continuing mission to keep our neighborhoods safe and up to code.