CRIME PROBLEM CAN KILL GROWTH

City Must Focus On Public Safety

Where Indianapolis' future is concerned, optimism abounds in spite of
a gathering storm.

In the "What Keeps You Up at Night?" feature on page 54, Indianapolis
Convention & Visitors Association President and CEO Bob Bedell talks
about how well-positioned the city will be to compete for big
conventions once the new convention center is finished.

Beginning on page 25, our Power Players in Commercial Real Estate
discuss the many advantages associated with developing and leasing
office, retail and industrial space here: The city is centrally
located, vibrant, easy to navigate, a great place to raise a family.
The list goes on.

What isn't top of mind for the business community, at least not yet,
is that the city's public safety infrastructure is in shambles.
Unless we summon the courage to find the money to fix it, the city's
ability to lure conventions, attract real estate investment, sustain
existing businesses, and grow its life sciences economy will be in jeopardy.

This is a city without enough officers to fight crime. It's a city
whose judicial system is inadequate, in both staffing and physical
facilities, to try the accused. And it's a city without enough jail
space to house the convicted. The system's deficiencies are
well-known, making it open season for those inclined to commit crimes
against people and property.

A city perceived as unsafe won't sustain its economy in the long term.

In the face of this growing problem, attempts at piecemeal
improvement are doomed by politics. Mayor Peterson's police
consolidation proposal died a partisan death even as it tried to chip
away at a bipartisan problem.

Had the mayor's proposal succeeded, it wouldn't have solved all our
public safety problems. It wouldn't have addressed the safety and
efficiency concerns that go along with housing 30 courts in a
City-County Building designed to hold half that number. And it
wouldn't have addressed the futility of apprehending criminals who
are sometimes allowed back out on the streets because there's nowhere
to house them.

With the city's public officials spinning their wheels, business
leaders must intervene and push for a comprehensive solution.

A city that can marshal the forces necessary to build a stadium and
convention center can surely muster the focus, commitment and
cooperation to fix a problem that puts everyone's lives and livelihoods at risk.