Since the Public Safety Department failed to turn over crime statistics for 2010 to the FBI for inclusion in the Uniform Crime Report, there have been rumblings that the Ballard administration had been cooking the crime stat numbers to make things appear rosier than what they really are. Indeed, Mayor Greg Ballard claimed a 12.8% reduction in crime in Indianapolis as recently as May. The final figures belatedly reported to the FBI show a much less rosy picture, claiming a slight reduction over the previous year and a smaller decrease than reported nationally. Fox 59 News' Russ McQuaid
explains:
The Indianapolis Department of Public Safety tells Fox 59 News it will send the Federal Bureau of Investigations the city’s 2010 crime statistics, several months overdue and more than two months after federal officials released national numbers.
The 2010 Uniform Crime Report shows a total of 54,650 serious crimes, from murder to stolen vehicles, in Indianapolis. That number is down 4.4% from 2009.
Criminal homicides, rapes, aggravated assaults and robberies totaled 9,508. That represents a 2.6% decrease from the year before but less than half the 5.5% national average decrease as reported by the FBI . . .
“I don’t know why those statistics weren’t submitted in a proper manner,” said Jim White, public safety lecturer at IUPUI and former Emergency Management Director for Marion County. “Conservatively saying you ought to have it done within 90 days. There should be no reason why you shouldn’t have it done within 90 days.”
In May, Mayor Greg Ballard announced that progress was being made on what he called the city’s “antiquated” crime reporting system. That day the mayor also announced a double digit decrease in crime in 2011.
“Through the first quarter of 2011, IMPD has reduced crime by 12%.”
When Ballard announced a 12.8% decrease in crime through April 23rdcompared to 2009, he was citing statistics based on Tiburon data, a preliminary reporting system, and numbers that had an “adjustment factor” applied. That double digit decrease was announced the same day the mayor said for the second summer in a row, Indianapolis Metropolitan police officers would be involved in a surge strategy to flood troubled parts of the city with additional officers to fight crime.
Six weeks later, on June 18th, during the first month of the surge, IMPD reported its year to date crime reduction had fallen to a 5.77% decrease, less than half the first quarter double digit decrease. A month later, on July 16th, the year to date decrease fell to 4.1%.
“I think what you have here is more data and you have a more accurate picture and, crime goes up, it goes down,” said White. “Historically the summer months you’re going to see a rise in crime.”
The public safety director’s office did not respond to a request for an interview.
10 comments:
There is a rumor that Straub issued an edict that all police are being called to report for a meeting in which they are told no police officers may title a report "homicide".....(for crime stat purposes), and that all homicides shall be called "death investigations."
Can anyone shed light on this?
There was a court case several years back filed against then-Sheriff Jack Cottey by a whistleblower who claimed that his boss had ordered him to alter the crime statistics for the area then patrolled by the sheriff's department to make it look like crime was higher under Sheriff Joe McAtee so that those crime statistics could be used against McAtee when he ran in the GOP primary against former Lawrence Mayor Tom Schneider. A jury found in favor of the whistleblower and the county was ordered to pay him several hundred thousand dollars. Rumors persist that crime statistics are being played with by the Ballard administration, including a claim that a high-ranking person within the Department left his position because he refused to "doctor" the statistics. Perhaps there should be an investigation to determine whether that actually took place.
Ballard needs to fire the idiot Frank Straub now if he wants to win this election in November
Herr DOK-TOR Straub will continue destroying this city's credibility until we become Detroit.
Flipper, I saw your old buddy Greg walking into my office building for a meeting at the offices of one of the law firms that has a lot of client matters pending before the City. I said to him, "You reallly sold us out, Greg." He replied with a smurky smile, "Yeah, I know I did." Face it, Flipper, he used you and all of the rest of us to get elected when nobody else would give him the time of day. Tom John ran around telling everyone not to contribute any money to his campaign because he was a sure loser. You wasted months of your life hauling that sorry excuse for a man around this city in your car and introducing him to folks only to get told to get lost as soon as he won. Why would you even care whether he gets re-elected after the way he humiliated you? He's a traitor and needs to be treated as such.
The tragedy of Greg Ballard is made up of several issues.
He had a golden chance-one almost unparalled in politics- a 'Cinderella story out of nowhere', who owed no one a damn thing.
He did work hard on the '07campaign trail, with zero support from the Marion Co Republican party/Tom John and Kyle Walker; I know for a fact that both men several times discouraged donors not to waste their money on him.
He enjoyed the support of everyone who saw Bart Peterson mortgage the future of the city on Lucas Oil, and several tax increases, and used his USMC background as a platform of leadership experience, and stated that no leadership was seen from Peterson.
He enjoyed the support of the online community to trumpet his campaign.
He stated that there was no accountability or responsibility from Downtown, and that if elected he would (and stated this right after winning) put an end to "country club" politicking, that he owed no one and was free to set his own agenda.
Wow.
That $50K contribution belately received from him by B and T really paid Them dividends..
I used to think he wasn't a bad guy personally, just naive..and without any Real ideas for this city-other than what his handlers ordered him to do. "China Town"? Jesus.. I could keep going but will refrain..I'm disgusted and tired of thinking about it.
I've since come to the conclusion that his whole 'good guy' persona is a sham.
He isn't accountable, has no loyalty to anyone person, and his judgement and decision making is limited to how much it can affect his pocketbook and creature comforts. In other words, a Whore.
And I'm doing my damndest to help send him back into the obscurity he came from.
You're being too polite, SW Lane. Ballard is on the take, pure and simple. Even some of his own advisors have been concerned at his shameless mooching for freebies all the time and just how consumed he has become with receiving as many perks of the office as he can. If you're looking for an ideal politician to ply your influence-peddling trade, Ballard is your guy because he has no moral compass to keep his vices in check. He behaves like a naive young marine on leave from the base.
I don't doubt his being on the take. It's a fault that those in logistics sometimes have: They are in charge of large amounts of property or people and sometimes start to feel that the stuff belongs to them. And if someone wants in on the 'loot', they have to cut a deal and feed the gate-keeper.
Logistics in any military unit are vital; without such a train, the unit will suffer and die. Apparently he did well in Iraq doing this
Here he is in over his head, but instead of looking for someone who has the right knowledge, skills and ability to run a city, he takes the easy way out and abdicates his responsibility to a select few, whose only vision is their financial well-being.
I'll maintain that if he'd ever had testicles he would have thanked B and T for their ability to help fund his campaign in the final stages, and THEN RAN HIS OWN TRANSITION TEAM. He did not show any courage or intelligence, but lazily let himself be lead by the nose by those greedy cocksuckers.
As far as the Joe Six packs of Indy are concerned, he has failed miserably..but boy we sure bought that Marine Corps persona of caring for those you are in charge of, and making a decision when faced with an issue, using Original thinking, and accepting the responsibilty for that decision, come what may.
Chesty Puller must be twirling in his own vomit inside his casket.
I wonder if Herr DOK-TOR Straub is reporting all those bicycle thefts as theft-larceny, or as "lost or recovered property."
Ballard leverage a defense contractor, Bayer Corporation, for a job after he was pushed out of the Marines after 23 years. He was only elevated to the rank of colonel with the understanding he was leaving. Bayer figured out how worthless he was, whereupon he tried his luck in a start-up trucking firm that went bust after a short time. He was eking out a very meager living working in a low-paid teaching job when he lucked into the mayor's office.
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