Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker invited community organizations and residents to a conversation Wednesday about an uptick in youth violence in the city.
The city sent out a request for questions along with a sign up to attend the forum and Tucker says they received about one hundred questions. The panel consisted of the mayor herself, Fort Wayne Police Chief Scott Caudill, Roderick Parker of Big Hearts Community Projects and Foundation One from Unity Barbershop.
Tucker said the panellists for the conversation were chosen for their work in the community and their connection to the neighborhoods. The conversation used the questions as a jumping off point to talk about the causes of and solutions to the youth violence that is occurring, as well as places where the city has improved.
Parker suggested he doesn’t see as consistent patrolling in the neighborhoods as he did when he was a kid and said it would be beneficial for residents to be familiar with officers in their community.
“Let the community know ‘hey, this guy’s a human just like me,’” Parker said. “Finding ways to allow some of the officers to be more accessible outside of the guise of their job.”
Caudill said it’s harder now for officers to walk their beats the way they used to, due to changing technologies and the need to be close to patrol cars in case of emergencies.
“So, when you call 911, you don’t necessarily want me walking around eight blocks away from my car when I’ve got to maybe drive all the way across the city,” he said. “So, that’s the one drawback.”
But he said places like gas stations or restaurants inside of the communities they patrol are great places to start building those relationships.
Tucker said she read through all the questions submitted to the city ahead of the event and took away two things people want to know; How to help and where to get funding for programs. She said the city is working on plans for both of those things, with an expectation to announce a couple new initiatives in the future.
Tucker also acknowledged a call for the return of the SEATED program, which paid for summer jobs for teens, but said the funding sources that created that program don’t exist anymore.
