Via the IndyStar…

Sheriff Frank Anderson said today he’s not going to give up control of the city’s police officers without a fight.

“I maintain that the people want an elected sheriff to be responsible for law enforcement.”

I honestly am not sure what the best arrangement is and there are valid arguments on both sides. This still seems like a mess overall, but my hope is that whatever changes are made and once the dust has settled from that, we’ll be better off as a city and the crime issues are addressed.

Regardless, it’ll certainly be interesting to see what comes of this, especially since Frank Anderson only supported the IPD-Marion County Sheriffs Department merger once he was given control over the officers.

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While I can’t honestly say whether or not Greg Ballard will be a better Mayor of Indianapolis than Bart Peterson was/is, I will say that I’m happy to see some fresh blood in there. And if people don’t like the job that he’s done in his first term, they can go to the polls in four years and make their statement. But I plan on giving him the time to prove himself either way, as change does take a little time.

Read the full post on my personal blog.

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IPS will dismiss early today. IPS will follow a half-day schedule. A number of schools have no air conditioning. Today’s high is 98. There will be no extracurricular activities except athletics.

This was a common occurrence during my August days in IPS as a student and it’s not surprising that nothing has changed (I never recall this happening when the school year started after Labor Day). There are too many things that are wrong with why we even have this situation and I frankly don’t have enough time to properly address them all.

Bottom line, we cannot sink our trust into government and education. Both have their place, but they are not the “be-all, end-all” solution to the woes of society.

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A Marion Superior Court judge sentenced a 17-year-old to 45 years in prison today for the attack and robbery of a bicyclist on the Monon Trail.Montaz Lewis was one of four teens arrested for the Oct. 6 incident, which happened after dusk near 28th Street on Indianapolis’ Near Northside. Lewis struck Darrell Arthur, 55, on the head with a wooden two-by-four board. The group then struck Arthur on the ground and robbed him of $12 and the bike, leaving him on the pedestrian trail.

Arthur would have died without the intervention of a neurosurgeon, Judge Mark Stoner said when he delivered the sentence. Arthur had been riding his bike south toward home after mowing a friend’s lawn.

He may never fully recover. “Now, he’s walking around slowly with a cane and has to hope his equilibrium doesn’t give out,” deputy prosecutor Mark Correll said.

…

The other three teens pleaded guilty, and a jury convicted Lewis last month. He received the stiffest penalty — far more than the maximum 30 years he would have faced under a plea deal he initially accepted in May, but later rejected before signing an agreement.

This is just a sad situation all around.

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In his address tonight to the City-County Council, Mayor Bart Peterson discussed public safety and property tax — not budget cuts he ordered two weeks ago.
 
…

His budget-cut presentation was canceled because department heads are still working on the cuts, said Margie Smith-Simmons, Peterson’s spokeswoman.

Deputy Mayor Steve Campbell said Peterson focus on how he will bolster public safety with a $90 million spending increase that came from a 65 percent increase in the county income tax at the last council meeting.

…

However, property taxes could still increase because schools, which account for about half of all property taxes, were not required to freeze property tax spending.

…

School and child welfare spending were two of the key reasons property taxes jumped 34 percent this year, sparking a storm of tax protests from citizens.

“I think the public generally expects budget to go up a few percent with inflation,” Campbell said.

OK, could someone please give Mr. Deputy Mayor a simple math lesson related to inflation? 

Something along these lines (in nice round numbers for illustrative purposes):

• You earn $100
• You are taxed 10%
• You take home $90
• The government takes $10 in taxes

Along comes a 10% increase in your income due to inflation, thus:

• You earn $110
• You are still taxed 10%
• You take home $99
• The government takes $11 in taxes

Yes budgets do go up with inflation, but they should stay on course with inflation and not excessively exceed it.  In our current case we’re really talking about tax increases, not inflation.  Yes, no one likes to pay taxes, but if it were on a simple 1:1 scale (and the people actually received raises) there wouldn’t be such an uproar. 

The bottom line is that the government has budgeted for more than they bring in and someone has to pay for it.  So of course there’s going to be public outcry since once a tax is in place it’s most likely not going away, even the “temporary” taxes.  Anyway, I’m curious as to what will be said once the budget cuts are finalized.

Technorati Tags: bart peterson, indiana, indy star, marion county, indianapolis, taxes

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Carjackings continue to increase at a furious pace this year in Marion County despite police efforts since April to crack down on the crime.

During the first six months of this year, 152 carjackings were reported, compared with 62 through the same period last year — a 145 percent increase.

Carjackings briefly leveled off in April, the same month police assigned undercover units to investigate the crime. Police also sought help from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to try to determine whether a gang might be behind the spike.

…

The analysis does show “hot spots” for carjackings in the city. The department declined to release a list of those locations. Lorah said the city’s six police districts have the information, but he said he did not know whether they have taken action on it.

I understand the undercover aspects, but wouldn’t it be helpful if the police informed us where these “hot spots” are?

Read the entire article.

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Police arrested two alleged robbers who led officers on a chase that ended with a crash into another vehicle on the Westside this morning.

A man pointed a gun at workers and stole about $80 from the McClure convenience store, 5301 Rockville Rd., at about 12:05 a.m., according to a police report. The suspect got into a Ford Ranger pickup truck driven by another man and fled, police said.

Read the entire article.

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Indiana Tea Party, 11am, July 28, 2007 at the Broad Ripple Canal

More information.

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Police arrested a 17-year-old who led them on a car chase this morning that began on the Far Westside and ended on the Near Southside.

Clermont Police Officer John Dierdorf spotted the teen and an accomplice burglarizing a Convenient Food Mart in the 9100 block of West 10th Street at 4:10 a.m., said Sgt. Matt Mount, a spokesman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

…

The suspects were stealing cigarettes and cigars, Mount said.

This is proof that things haven’t changed a whole lot from back when I was in high school and proof that having ample “free time” isn’t always a good thing.

Read the full story.

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Former Perry Township Schools Superintendent H. Douglas Williams has a new job in Indianapolis.

Williams is the director of education initiatives at The Mind Trust, an education non-profit addressing entrepreneurship in Indianapolis’ public education.  Williams will lead a project focusing on curbing the city’s dropout rate and creating new high school options for students who have not succeeded in traditional high schools.

Read the full story.

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