A man accused of driving the vehicle that killed a 6 month old and sent another to the hospital has been formally charged with hit and run in Indianapolis. [Read more…]

All one has to do is look at the daily news to get the feeling that domestic violence offenses are on the rise. Take a look at this post from a few weeks back where an Indy Post article showed a marked increase in domestic assaults since last year. Just in the past week we have lately seen several higher profile cases in the local news.

Across the country links are being drawn between higher incidence of domestic violence and the troubled economy. Whether or not this is the case can’t really be proven but what is a fact is the recent cases seem particularly heinous. [Read more…]

People are blaming the economy for everything these days and the increase in domestic violence is no different. There may be a connection here, however, as households are under large amounts of stress, leading to more fights and violence. Unfortunately, as reported incidences are increasing, funds for prevention and protection programs are decreasing.

This article from the Indy Star points out that in the first five months of 2009, the police department has investigated 1,950 cases of domestic violence, up 13% from the same time last year. This dramatic increase is casually linked by many to the economy. [Read more…]

Greenwood Police are on the lookout for a serial arsonist. Arson is one of the state’s most serious property damage crimes and an offense that has the potential to cause a lot of pain and damage.

Imperial Hills subdivision is located near County Line Road and Shelby Street. This single neighborhood has seen 5 fires in the past month, causing $60,000 in damage. What ties these fires together other than the neighborhood is how they were started, using lighter fluid from the homes. [Read more…]

Your profession isn’t always an indication of your level of professionalism. School administrator Sharon Downing is the director of Choice Academy and facing serious criminal charges. Fitting the bill of a white collar criminal, Ms. Downing could be facing prison time.

According to this report from The IndyStar, Downing is accused of taking out a loan in her sister’s name and forging her sister’s signature. In 2007 the loan was taken out in her sister’s name for $83,600. Downing’s sister apparently had no idea.

Now, Downing is facing 2 charges of forgery and 2 counts of identity deception, both very serious criminal charges. A warrant has been issued for her arrest and a $5000 bond has been set. [Read more…]

An Indiana man is facing a lengthy prison sentence after just having gone through possibly the most heart wrenching year of his life. James Michael Booher was recently sentenced to 8 years in prison following charges of neglect in relation to his daughter’s death.

Last May Booher’s 5 year old son shot his younger sister in gun play gone wrong. The young boy retrieved the semi-automatic off of a bookshelf before doing the unthinkable.

Interestingly, this report from Indiana’s News Center claims the boy had previously retrieved the same handgun from on top of the refrigerator only 8 months earlier. On that occasion he shot a hole through the kitchen cabinets. This, says the court, is part of the reason for the father’s charges. They explain he should have known to move the gun to a safer area after this initial accident. [Read more…]

Currently, twenty police surveilance cameras are located in high crime areas around the city. Some of them have been in place since 2006. However, if you are looking for real data on their effectiveness, you won’t have much luck. No one has really been tracking how these tools work in the fight against crime.

The cameras are on street corners in some of the toughest neighborhoods and can be panned to get footage from 360 degrees. They can collect images from up to 3 blocks away and would seem to be a valuable tool. Some, however, claim the cameras only move the problem rather than eliminate it.

Fifty four cameras are currently in place. This includes 34 cameras permanently affixed to watch city and state facilities. These cameras, in all, cost taxpayers $1 million. Within the next few years, the city hopes to add 50 more using federal grants. [Read more…]

A fire that destroyed sections of a multi-million dollar building on March 12^th may have been started by a homeless man attempting to frighten an ex-girlfriend. According to the Indianapolis Star Brandon Burns told several people that he started the fire in the Cosmopolitan of the Canal. Burns has been charged with arson and intimidation.

Police are still investigating the case as there are several questions left unanswered. Prosecutor Carl Brizzi states he wants to “dig deeper” to ensure all of the information is known. He claims the whole story seems a little “neat and tidy”.

The building is a $37 million dollar project that contains apartments and retail areas. According to the president of construction, many areas survived the fire and the remaining damaged sites will be rebuilt. The building was scheduled to begin moving in tenants in May. [Read more…]

ShotSpotter, a microphone-based application can locate gunfire origination and relay the information to police. It is being used in other departments across the country with seemingly good results. According to this article from the Indy Star Public Safety Director Scott Newman says he would like to have some in place by the end of this year.

At $500,000 for the first and $250,000 for every system thereafter, a dozen cameras are placed in a mile radius to pinpoint gunshot locations. These shots can be immediately sent to dispatch or even to cruisers. Because people sometimes fail to report shots fired, the police believe this shortened reaction time will increase the arrest rates. [Read more…]

The number of incidents of shoplifting is on the increase this year, in Indiana and nationwide. And the holiday season is always one of the busiest for shoplifters. People go into stores to steal gifts, and because of the busier traffic, many people feel that they are more likely to not be noticed.

Add in the tough economy with lots of people out of work and desperate, and it all adds up to a very busy holiday season for police and retail store security and theft prevention departments.

Shoplifting prevention usually comes in two forms: video surveillance and active anti-shoplifting personnel. Store security may be in the store watching you, in plain clothes, pretending to be regular shoppers. And both actively scanned and passively monitored (through motion detectors) video monitoring is happening constantly. [Read more…]