The Fishers Police Department Citizens Academy is in its 39th year and is accepting applications for the 2021 program.  It is 14 weeks on Wednesday nights, 6:30-9:30pm, at the police headquarters building downtown.

In order to qualify, you must be at least 16 years of age.  The first session is August 11, with the graduation ceremony November 17.

If you are interested, apply soon because the class is limited to 30 participants.

Fishers Police say the purpose of the academy is to provide participants with an opportunity to better understand the role of police officers and, more specifically, to strengthen the relationship between the officers of the Fishers Police Department and the community.  Officers will provide an overview of the roles and responsibilities of FPD Officers and insight into some of the specialized units and skills within FPD.  Topics will include how to make a traffic stop, how the K-9 Unit works within the agency, the role of the Fishers Dive Team, how Crime Scene Investigators process scenes, and how to safely navigate social media and the internet. Students will have some classroom instruction and practical role play training each day.

Each applicant is subject to a screening process; advanced registration is required.  Walk-ins will not be accepted.  Begin the registration process by submitting interest at this link.

Once pre-registration and the background screening have been completed, applicants will receive an email from FISHERS, IN with final registration information details.

Registration is open until the class fills or until July 7, 2021.

Adam Aasen, Alec Toombs and Larry Lannan ask the question – do recent box office numbers indicate movies are back at theaters?  Also, we review “IN the Heights,” Spare Parts” and “Oslo” in this edition.

I was having a conversation the other day about the serious crime problems in the east side of Indianapolis.  My mind went back to the 1960s when my aunt and uncle built their first home in that area.

The eastside was economically thriving at that time.  There were Ford and Chrysler auto plants.  Western Electric manufactured telephones for AT&T.  There were lots of smaller companies around supporting and supplying those operations, along with many small businesses in general.

But the Indianapolis east side is not what it once was.  Chrysler, Ford and Western Electric closed years ago.  Many of the small businesses have also left the area.  That has led to poverty and crime.

Changing economics brings changes and sometimes those changes are tragic.  The Indianapolis east side is one example.

Something is happening at the national level that not only impacts jobs and the economy, but our democracy as well.  To state it bluntly, local news is economically dying in the United States of America.

There has been a lot of hand-wringing and talk about what to do about local news sources just going away.  But there is a possible solution that may surprise you.

Steve Waldman is president of Report for America, which places journalists into local newsrooms and also chairs the Rebuild Local News Coalition.  He makes a compelling argument that any infrastructure legislation should include provisions strengthening sources of local news.

I know many have argued that proposals within the infrastructure plans being considered on Capitol Hill already do not meet what many consider genuine infrastructure.  I am not here to take a side on that debate, but I would ask you consider the arguments Mr. Waldman presents.

He says local news is part of our democratic civic infrastructure and that infrastructure is crumbling economically.  Here is one number that must be considered – there are 60% fewer local news reporters today compared to the year 2000.

That means a newsroom staffed with 100 reporters in 2000 now employs about 40 journalists.  That also assumes the newsroom is still in business today.

Senator Maria Cantwell is from the state of Washington, and as chair of the Commerce Committee, she has proposed spending $2.4 billion on news infrastructure.

I know many journalists will say, whoa, having the government subsidize news could be a slippery slope.  Could the news media remain independent in this scenario?

News organizations have, in fact, been subsidized in the past.  One example is a better postal rate for news.  News operations are also entitled to all sorts of tax breaks available to other businesses.

One idea that is being explored would allow every American to buy $250 worth of news subscriptions and provide a refundable tax credit to pay for it.  This would be available to all taxpayers, not just those itemizing their deductions.

I do not pretend to have all the answers, but I know the local news business is in serious trouble, with news deserts growing throughout the nation.  Something needs to be done.

I do try and play a small part with this news blog.  Here in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis, we have many sources of news.  There is the Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis Business Journal, Hamilton County Reporter, Noblesville Times along with local television and radio news operations.  Special kudos to public radio station WFYI, which has been growing its staff of journalists in recent years.

Studies have consistently shown that a lack of local news systems eventually lead to more corruption, lower voter turnout, added polarization and more alienation within the local community. Also consider this – the vacuum created by the disintegration of local news is now being filled by toxic disinformation, conspiracy theories and polarizing national content.

Again, I do not pretend to have all the answers, but we need to look for serious solutions to the lack of local news sources. After all, I’ll be 70 years old in the coming months.  I tried to quit this news blog once and COVID brought me back.  We need more than volunteers such as myself to bring you local news.

Read Steve Waldman’s full commentary at this link.

With warmer weather comes more road construction in and around Fishers.

The list is long.  Here is that list, as provided by the City of Fishers:

===========

No foul play is suspected connected to a body found in a Fishers pond Wednesday.  The person found in the pond has been identified by the Hamilton County Coroner’s office as Adam C. Louie, 35, from Indianapolis.

A contractor was working Wednesday in the Wintercove neighborhood, near Allisonville Road and Easy Street, and reported a body floating in a retention pond.  The Fishers Police Department Dive Team responded and recovered the Mr. Louie’s body.

Divers entered the pond Friday and located a car fully submerged near where Mr. Louie’s body was recovered. Investigators have been able to confirm the car, recovered from the pond, belonged to the Adam Louie.

“There is no indication of foul play and no reason to believe this incident poses a threat to the community,” according to a Fishers Police Department news release.

Anyone with information regarding this incident should call Detective Tracy Jones at 317-595-3417.

In the year of 2020, 8 residents of Hamilton County died at the hands of domestic violence.  That is a stark number for  the wealthiest county in the state of Indiana, which does not have a domestic violence shelter within the county lines.

This is an issue I have written about countless times over more than 9 years of this blog.  It has been frankly embarrassing that our county has not been able to find a way to construct and run a shelter for these victims.

For the first time in my memory, the Hamilton County Council has taken an important first step in finally putting  together such a shelter.

A news release from the county says Councilman Fred Glynn requested, and the council approved, $14,500 funding a project development agreement with RQAW. The engineering firm has been tasked with imagining a domestic violence shelter for Hamilton County. RQAW presented preliminary findings and renderings at the latest council meeting.

“There is no safe emergency shelter located in the county for families fleeing domestic violence,” says Susan Ferguson, executive director at Prevail, Hamilton County’s comprehensive non-residential services provider. “Because of this, victims are staying in, or returning to, unsafe and abusive situations so that they have housing for themselves and their children.”

Last year was sadly a busy time for Prevail. The agency served 3,783 clients – 52% of them victims of domestic violence. Since there is currently no shelter available in Hamilton County, victims and their children are often sent to shelters in Madison and Marion counties.

“Domestic violence affects people of all socio-economic backgrounds and education levels,” says County Councilman Fred Glynn. “Hamilton County is no different. We need to start taking care of our most vulnerable residents and providing them with the support they need to leave a bad situation.”

The 20,000 square foot shelter would be designed to provide temporary shelter for up to six victims of domestic violence at a time. A location has yet to be determined. The estimated cost could be anywhere from $3 million to $5 million.

So, it is good to see county officials taking the first steps in establishing a local domestic violence shelter.

If you or someone you know is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional, or financial abuse, call Prevail’s 24-hour crisis line at (317) 776-3472 or the 24-hour statewide hotline at (800) 332-7385.

The Hamilton County Coroner’s office has identified a body found in a Fishers pond Wednesday afternoon.

According to my news gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter, Hamilton County Chief Deputy Coroner Thurl Cecil has identified the body in the pond as Adam C. Louie, 35, from Indianapolis.  Louie was reported as a missing person on May 31, 2021. 

Fishers Police responded to a report of a body found in a pond Wednesday afternoon, near Allisonville Road and Easy Street, north of 116th Street.

The coroner’s office has not yet determined a cause of death.

The Fishers City comprehensive plan is now 5 years old and is nearing the end of a review process.  The document, called the 2040 Plan, has had online sessions for resident comments and the Fishers Plan Commission held a public hearing at Wednesday night’s monthly session

The major changes to the plan can be found at this link.

The revisions received a unanimous positive recommendation from the plan commission, with a few amendments made by Pete Peterson.  He says the housing task force created by the plan should not have certain specific items for future actions because the task force members should decide which actions to study and recommend.

The items removed due to the amendment include:

–Organize an education effort on affordable housing including needs for various
demographics, housing types, and City programs. Target messages to the general community as well as potential housing developers.

–Update the UDO to define a broader range of alternative housing types such as duplexes, triplexes, accessory dwelling units, garage apartments etc. and expand where these types are permitted.

–Identify feasible incentives to promote development of “Missing Middle Housing” types,
affordable or workforce housing, as well as ADA and accessible housing units.

–In the development review process for new neighborhoods, encourage the integration of a variety of different types and price points of housing so that someone can afford to live in Fishers starting out and stay until retirement.

–Expand the matching grant program or establish separate grant programs to fund home
repairs, including exterior repairs for owner occupied and rental properties; to developers to provide new affordable housing or to renovate existing housing that meets affordability criteria; and to retrofitting of existing housing for ADA or universal access. 

The Fishers 2040 Plan now goes to the Fishers City Council for final approval June 21.

A Carmel man was arrested Tuesday night by Fishers Police after a warrant was issued for his arrest.  Terrence Richards, 40, faces Possession of Child Pornography and Child Exploitation charges, both felonies.

Earlier this year, The Hamilton County Metro Child Exploitation Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children advising that someone had used a social media account to upload multiple images of child sexual abuse material. This tip initiated an investigation that led to the execution of a search warrant at Richards’ home.

According to police, during the search, additional evidence was located and collected.  Detectives with the Fishers Police Department Digital Forensic Lab examined case-related devices and discovered additional images, some of which, officials say, Richards had distributed to other individuals via mobile application. The Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and issued an arrest warrant for Richards.

Members of the Hamilton County Metro Child Exploitation Task Force include Detectives from the Fishers Police Department, Carmel Police Department, Noblesville Police Department, and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.

When Tony Bagato left his post as Director of Planning & Zoning for the City of Fishers for a private sector job, it was assumed that his second-in-command, Megan Schaefer, would move into the director’s chair.  That was cleared-up Wednesday morning when the city formally announced Ms. Schaefer as the new head of Planning & Zoning.

One major initiative on the new director’s plate will be the 5-year update on the city’s comprehensive plan, named the 2040 Plan.  That plan looks to what Fishers may be once the population swells as projected to 135,000 residents (current estimates put the population of Fishers at about 95,000).

“My goal is to make sure Fishers continues to thrive as a community,” said Schaefer in a city news release. “There is so much opportunity here, and it’s great to work under leadership that is committed to looking at the facts and making the best decisions for the community. My goal for our department is to modernize processes, reduce inefficiencies, and continue to use data to inform decision making. As Fishers begins to reach buildout, our focus will be to plan for possible scenarios, and be proactive in our planning efforts. My passion has always been focused on public service and I could not be more excited to take on this new leadership role.”

Ms. Schaefer and her department expect to identify gaps and priorities in the City’s trail network and potential funding sources; streamline and update the department’s review processes; educate the public and development community on land use and zoning regulations; and gather local data that will assist policy makers and community officials in making informed decisions regarding the City’s future.

Ms. Schaefer received her bachelor’s degree in Policy Analysis from Indiana University, and is currently enrolled in the Indiana Certified Public Manager Program at Ball State University’s Bowen Center for Public Affairs. She previously worked with the City of Indianapolis’ Department of Business and Neighborhood Services as a Project Development Analyst.