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MCPD vs. other departments: How do we compare?
Source/U.S. Census Bureau Chart by Tony Bayer/The News-Dispatch
By Jason Miller, The News-Dispatch
In the eyes of many local police departments, Michigan City is lucky.
For a city of around 32,000 people, a police force the size of Michigan City's is large, to say the least, and is the envy of administrators in comparably sized cities in Northwest Indiana.
But while a force of 88 officers might seem over-inflated to some for a city the size of Michigan City, Police Chief Ben Neitzel says the devil is in the details.
“You're not comparing apples to apples when you look at how many officers we have compared to cities like Valparaiso or Portage,” Neitzel said. “The demographics are different and the crime numbers probably are, too. You just can't compare the two.”
Michigan City - whose estimated 2005 population was 32,205 - is budgeted for a force of 90 officers, Neitzel said. Currently, the force has 88. Two officers are off active duty because of injury and military service.
Portage, with an estimated 2005 population of 35,687, has a force of 58 officers, and Valparaiso, a city with an estimated population of 29,102, has a force of 48 officers.
Sgt. Keith Hughes, public information officer for the Portage Police Department, said he hopes to raise his department's complement in the next budget cycle. But even if that happens, he said, only two officers would be added.
And while he said he'd like to have more officers on the force, 58 or 60 seems to be doing the job.
“It seems to be the right number now,” Hughes said. “We've always wondered about Michigan City. That's a lot of officers for a city that size, but I guess you have to take certain things into consideration when you judge something like that.
“Would we like to have more (officers)? Sure we would. But right now the numbers seem to be working.”
The demographics of which Neitzel speaks are economic, and affect greatly the need for officers. Lower incomes and lack of jobs usually correlate to more crime, Neitzel said, pointing out a statistic that's borne out in U.S. Census figures from 2000.
According to the most recent census, the median household income in Michigan City is $33,732 with 13.3 percent of all residents existing below the poverty level.
In East Chicago, where crime statistics are similar to Michigan City, the median household income is $26,538 with 24.4 percent of the population living below poverty.
In Portage, where crime rates are lower than in Michigan City, the median household income is $47,500 while 7.5 percent live under the poverty level. In Valparaiso, the median household income is $45,799 with 9 percent living below poverty.
“Crime seems to be more prevalent in areas where people make less money,” Neitzel said. “If you were to look at a crime map of Michigan City - the farther north you go the more likelihood crime will rise.”
The Trail Creek/Michigan Boulevard corridor sees a great deal of the city's crime each year, Neitzel said, because of the economic struggles many North End residents deal with.
“Population only is misleading. I think a lot of it has to do with economics. You don't see those types of issues as much in cities like Valpo,” he said. “And here, we're a service oriented community, as well. We've got to throw a lot of resources out there to make people feel comfortable enough to keep coming back.”
Currently, the Michigan City Police Department has more than 60 officers on patrol and 10 in the detective bureau. Four officers are members of the drug task force and five are administrators. The department also uses officers for things like information technology and public outreach.
Portage also has a detective bureau with “eight or nine members,” but only 39 officers on patrol. One Portage officer serves as a drug officer and one as a school liaison.
Crime in Michigan City dropped in 2006 after a 2005 mark that saw a rise in crime for the first time in eight years. And though the numbers fell, they remained higher, on average, than numbers in Portage and Valparaiso.
While Michigan City recorded 28 rape reports in 2006, Valparaiso recorded just five. Robberies in Michigan City totaled 62, while Valparaiso reported only four. Officials with the East Chicago Police Department declined repeated requests by The News-Dispatch for crime statistics in that city.
Neitzel said the rape number can be misleading because the majority of the cases have been dismissed due to things like a lack of victim or witness cooperation.
The yearly crime total for what some departments call Class 1 (more serious) crimes in Michigan City for 2006 was 2,672, while that number in Portage was 1,597 and 1,245 in Valparaiso.
Sgt. Mike Grennes of the Valparaiso Police Department said his department's numbers seem “about right” based on the city's population, but when taking into account the nearly 8,000 to 10,000 people who come into the city each day to work or shop, the force could be larger.
“We always want more. There's no secret there,” Grennes said. “But we make do with what we have. It's great if Michigan City has that much manpower. They must need it.”
In defending the number of officers in his department, Neitzel pointed to the needs of the community as a motivating factor. He said the department has made great strides in recent years to have a better presence in the community because getting to know the people means making them better understand with whom they're dealing.
“This community needs that kind of stuff,” he said of several programs in which officers speak at schools and create dialogue with people in the community. “We do a lot more public service projects now. We need to constantly be out there so the people have a better understanding of who we are.”
Contact reporter Jason Miller at jmiller@thenewsdispatch.com.
Source/U.S. Census Bureau Chart by Tony Bayer/The News-Dispatch
By Jason Miller, The News-Dispatch
In the eyes of many local police departments, Michigan City is lucky.
For a city of around 32,000 people, a police force the size of Michigan City's is large, to say the least, and is the envy of administrators in comparably sized cities in Northwest Indiana.
But while a force of 88 officers might seem over-inflated to some for a city the size of Michigan City, Police Chief Ben Neitzel says the devil is in the details.
“You're not comparing apples to apples when you look at how many officers we have compared to cities like Valparaiso or Portage,” Neitzel said. “The demographics are different and the crime numbers probably are, too. You just can't compare the two.”
Michigan City - whose estimated 2005 population was 32,205 - is budgeted for a force of 90 officers, Neitzel said. Currently, the force has 88. Two officers are off active duty because of injury and military service.
Portage, with an estimated 2005 population of 35,687, has a force of 58 officers, and Valparaiso, a city with an estimated population of 29,102, has a force of 48 officers.
Sgt. Keith Hughes, public information officer for the Portage Police Department, said he hopes to raise his department's complement in the next budget cycle. But even if that happens, he said, only two officers would be added.
And while he said he'd like to have more officers on the force, 58 or 60 seems to be doing the job.
“It seems to be the right number now,” Hughes said. “We've always wondered about Michigan City. That's a lot of officers for a city that size, but I guess you have to take certain things into consideration when you judge something like that.
“Would we like to have more (officers)? Sure we would. But right now the numbers seem to be working.”
The demographics of which Neitzel speaks are economic, and affect greatly the need for officers. Lower incomes and lack of jobs usually correlate to more crime, Neitzel said, pointing out a statistic that's borne out in U.S. Census figures from 2000.
According to the most recent census, the median household income in Michigan City is $33,732 with 13.3 percent of all residents existing below the poverty level.
In East Chicago, where crime statistics are similar to Michigan City, the median household income is $26,538 with 24.4 percent of the population living below poverty.
In Portage, where crime rates are lower than in Michigan City, the median household income is $47,500 while 7.5 percent live under the poverty level. In Valparaiso, the median household income is $45,799 with 9 percent living below poverty.
“Crime seems to be more prevalent in areas where people make less money,” Neitzel said. “If you were to look at a crime map of Michigan City - the farther north you go the more likelihood crime will rise.”
The Trail Creek/Michigan Boulevard corridor sees a great deal of the city's crime each year, Neitzel said, because of the economic struggles many North End residents deal with.
“Population only is misleading. I think a lot of it has to do with economics. You don't see those types of issues as much in cities like Valpo,” he said. “And here, we're a service oriented community, as well. We've got to throw a lot of resources out there to make people feel comfortable enough to keep coming back.”
Currently, the Michigan City Police Department has more than 60 officers on patrol and 10 in the detective bureau. Four officers are members of the drug task force and five are administrators. The department also uses officers for things like information technology and public outreach.
Portage also has a detective bureau with “eight or nine members,” but only 39 officers on patrol. One Portage officer serves as a drug officer and one as a school liaison.
Crime in Michigan City dropped in 2006 after a 2005 mark that saw a rise in crime for the first time in eight years. And though the numbers fell, they remained higher, on average, than numbers in Portage and Valparaiso.
While Michigan City recorded 28 rape reports in 2006, Valparaiso recorded just five. Robberies in Michigan City totaled 62, while Valparaiso reported only four. Officials with the East Chicago Police Department declined repeated requests by The News-Dispatch for crime statistics in that city.
Neitzel said the rape number can be misleading because the majority of the cases have been dismissed due to things like a lack of victim or witness cooperation.
The yearly crime total for what some departments call Class 1 (more serious) crimes in Michigan City for 2006 was 2,672, while that number in Portage was 1,597 and 1,245 in Valparaiso.
Sgt. Mike Grennes of the Valparaiso Police Department said his department's numbers seem “about right” based on the city's population, but when taking into account the nearly 8,000 to 10,000 people who come into the city each day to work or shop, the force could be larger.
“We always want more. There's no secret there,” Grennes said. “But we make do with what we have. It's great if Michigan City has that much manpower. They must need it.”
In defending the number of officers in his department, Neitzel pointed to the needs of the community as a motivating factor. He said the department has made great strides in recent years to have a better presence in the community because getting to know the people means making them better understand with whom they're dealing.
“This community needs that kind of stuff,” he said of several programs in which officers speak at schools and create dialogue with people in the community. “We do a lot more public service projects now. We need to constantly be out there so the people have a better understanding of who we are.”
Contact reporter Jason Miller at jmiller@thenewsdispatch.com.
