City heads discuss tackling crime

ABC57 used Mayor Pete Buttigieg's Mayor's Night Out as an opportunity to get answers to questions about violence near Notre Dame.

Mayor Buttigieg said he has been working with the University of Notre Dame, public safety officials, and others to make sure they come up with a solution for the crime.

He said it is a time like this when people forget that South Bend's statistics have improved.

“Crime has been a roller coaster here in South Bend,” said long-time resident Rob Manierre.

On October 12, a shooting on Notre Dame Avenue left two injured.

On October 29, another shooting, both within a mile radius of Notre Dame, and this time one was killed.

“We got a long way to go,” said Mayor Buttigieg.

Buttigieg said crime is down and it has been an ongoing effort to continue to reduce those numbers.

“Persons shot is down about one-third this year and it didn't just happen that crime around the city as a whole and in the area around Notre Dame in particular is down dramatically from where it was five, ten, fifteen years ago,” said the mayor.

He said the city still has a long way to go, but he wants people to realize that the city is not at its worst, although sometimes crimes in higher profile neighborhoods put a little bit of fear in the residents.

“When something in an area that you recognize or in your neighbor or near someone that you care about, that is going to put you on edge,” said Buttigieg.

It is human instinct, but a project is in the works with all entities in the city.

“We're already collaborating with a number of community leaders, including the University of Notre Dame on an initiative that we think may be responsible for a thirty percent drop of persons shot in our city," said Mayor Buttigieg.

The Mayor said it is too early to speak on just what that project is, but in the meantime it is important for everyone to get on board in making South Bend more peaceful.

“This calls on all of us, the faith community, business leaders, the community as a whole, to come together and make a statement ourselves and each other that we don't accept violent crime in South Bend,” said the mayor.

Renierre said it is important to focus on the issue of crime not the location.

“I hope it's not looked at because it's Notre Dame, but it's a South Bend issue and not just a Notre Dame issue.”