Police Credit Faith-Based Patrols,
More Officers for Fewer Black Expo Incidents
Indystar.com
By: Tania E. Lopez
First published: July 20, 2008
A Police credit faith-based community patrols and beefed up foot presence for avoiding major incidents at this year’s 38th Annual Summer Celebration but there still are concerns about juveniles breaking curfews.
"That was one of the things that we impressed on the community that we were going to enforce that," said Lt. Jeff Duhamell, a spokesman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Next year, he said, IMPD will work closely with event organizers on the scheduling of events that may end close to curfew.
Saturday night, the majority of curfew violators were 13-years-olds, and two were as young as 11.
In addition to one shooting - two teens were involved, and one was shot in the foot along West Market Street - preliminary reports recorded about 28 arrests and 90 curfew violations Friday and Saturday, police said.
Eight of those arrests were juveniles picked up on curfew violations and held on other charges, Duhamell said.
In 2007, there were 76 arrests during the three-day Black Expo, with 111 curfew violations during that time.
"This year it seemed a lot better as far as crowd and incidents," Duhamell said. "It seemed overall things went very smoothly."
About 500 police officers - 100 more than last year - were on duty along with more experienced officers.
The beefed-up policing was prompted in part by last year’s arrest of two teenage girls after one of them fired a gun into the air, and the videotaping of an officer kicking a 17-year-old boy.
This year, Expo leaders also partnered with Peace in the Streets, a nonviolence group that began a campaign during the start of Summer Celebration to promote peace.
Duhamell thinks the changes had a positive impact on the event.
In addition, about 200 members of faith-based patrols of ministers and volunteers acted as buffers between police and teens.
"Just their mere presence helps," Duhamell said. "They had shifts and it was good to have them there."
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