The Politics of Crime
Before I get to the meat of this piece, it’s important to know the latest in the shooting deaths of seven Indianapolis residents in their east side home.
According to my sources, 28-year old Desmond Turner found out through “street chatter” that there was money at the house in the 500 Block of North Hamilton where the victims were found. Sources say there are witnesses who can testify they heard Desmond say he was going to rob the house and kill everyone in it, including the children. In addition, there was no evidence that there was any illegal activity taking place in the home, nor were the residents illegal aliens. Turner is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow with James Stewart for the alleged crime.
Those are the facts, now on to the politics…
There’s nothing like a major crime during an election year!
Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said the murders are another example of the rising crime. “We have reached a critical mass in the County” he said. “The murders were just the tipping point.” To deal with the rise in crime Brizzi, along with City-County Councilmember Ike Randolph and Hancock County Sheriff Nick Gulling, outlined a four-point plan to deal with the problem.
The most important point of the plan is a commitment from Department of Corrections Commissioner Dave Donahue, a Republican, to use 750 beds at the Newcastle Prison to use for offenders to help alleviate the Marion County Jail overcrowding problem. Such a proposal would cost $44 per jail bed per inmate. If all beds were used it would cost the County $33,000 per day, or nearly $12 million per year. The funds would come from borrowing from future County Optional Income Taxes.
In addition to the jail space the plan also calls for the following…
1. The formation of a regional crime committee known as CLEAN UP (County Law Enforcement Action and United Partnership). Commitments have been received from Boone, Hamilton Hancock Hendricks, Henry, Morgan and Rush Counties.
2. Creating a registry for violent offenders, similar to those for sex offenders.
3. Truth in sentencing legislation, where violent offenders serve 85-percent of the prison time.
Brizzi also plans to try the death penalty case, personally.
Not to be outdone or ignored, Democratic candidate Melina Kennedy held a news conference one hour later to re-announce her “Project Real Time” which called for moving criminals to state prison, speeding up the prosecution of criminals, as well as increasing space within the current system by moving 250 female prisoners to another facility, freeing up space in the current jail. Kennedy originally proposed the plan when she announced her initial candidacy in February.
I asked both Brizzi and Kennedy if the murders were turning into a political issue. They both said “no” but there is no doubt this is and will turn into one despite best efforts by both candidates. Democrats will say Brizzi’s office has not effectively prosecuted crime because of the turnover in prosecutors. Republicans will say it was Mayor Bart Peterson who cut the office’s funding in 2003 which also led to the backlog of overcrowding. The real fact of the matter is there is traditionally high turnover in prosecutor offices as many young lawyers go there to get a few years experience and then go work in a bigger place for more money. Yours truly had the chance to do that back in Springfield, IL, but instead took a better paying talk show host job. Brizzi does enjoy one advantage over Kennedy, because what Republican gubernatorial administration will let the most prominent Republican prosecutor in the state wither on the vine, so it’s easier to get some help from the state.
I think in this debate however, “Hizzoner” missed an opportunity to stay in charge of the issue. I asked the Mayor on Saturday at the Democratic State Convention whether his office would take the lead in any regional crime summit or discussion. Ike Randolph had already called for one my radio program 2-3 weeks ago following a weekend where three shootings occurred. Peterson’s response was while was the city was ready to assist in supporting any effort, the best ideas tend to come from the ground up. He pointed to a number of efforts around Indianapolis to stem the tide of violence and any racially-stemmed recriminations, however I really think “Hizzoner” should have more effectively used the opportunity as opposed to having the debate play out between Brizzi and Kennedy; particulary when Ike Randolph had already announced the need for a regional solution to the rising tide in crime
Like I said, everyone may want politics out of the issue, but I don’t see it happening.
