Calumet City Take Notice

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Mayor Michelle: Please take notice....This is what a town does that actually cares about the residents. Get the cops out of the squad room. Make that new Chief (Gilmore) earn his money. Get them on the street and into the homes of the taxpayers and residents who still care. In other words "get off your fat ass and do something".

The Times wrote:: Munster cops visiting residents at home

BY CARMEN McCOLLUM
cmccollum@nwitimes.com
219.662.5337 | Sunday, February 08, 2009
MUNSTER | Most people don't expect to see a team of police officers walking up and down the street, trudging through snow and between parked cars just to hear what they've got to say about the neighborhood.

But that's just what's happening in Munster, where new Police Chief Steve Scheckel wants to give residents an opportunity to talk directly with officers about their community.

Scheckel put together a team of people to go door to door and ask residents about problems in their neighborhood. The team includes a code enforcement officer, a technical patrol officer and another police officer who are visiting each home.

Scheckel said it's all about quality of life issues. He said the project began in January.

They started in the northwest section of Munster, primarily the area from Manor Drive to the state line and everything north of Ridge Road. So far, they have had contact with 227 homeowners. Scheckel said the visits will move east of Calumet Avenue next.

"Residents were very surprised and a little hesitant when we first began knocking on doors," Scheckel said. "We had to assure them that nothing was wrong and we wanted them to be comfortable with officers at their home."

He said residents talked about a variety of subjects including potholes, potential drug houses, barking dogs, speeding vehicles and street lights that don't work.

"Some people also talked about the problems as a result of the floods," he said. "They mentioned people who live in Indiana with vehicles registered in Illinois and one person was upset at seeing a town employee talking on a cell phone while driving."

Once all the information has been gathered, the Police Department will put it on a spreadsheet and refer the problem to the proper department.

Scheckel said he really wanted to put a "finger on the pulse of the community" to better assist residents. He said he's been working to come up with fresh ideas to find out what's going on in the different neighborhoods.

Town Council President Mike Mellon said Munster always has been very involved in community-oriented policing.

"Steve has a vision for intelligence-based policing," Mellon said. "He wants to implement that. He wants to get feedback from the residents so that he understands their needs and concerns, and knows what's going on in the community."

Scheckel has a very clear vision for the Police Department, which is one of the reasons he was chosen as chief, Mellon said, adding the council fully supports his plans.

Posts : 3993

Lois, she can't move. Blocking Capp, then those other write-ins, Michelle would better served with a Hoove-a-Round chair.

That chair that goes in circles. If she needs to go forward, call in the 7 White Knights.

Posts : 689

Quote :: Northwest Indiana Times
Cal City to consider immigration ordinance

BY GREGORY TEJEDA
Times Correspondent | Saturday, February 14, 2009
CALUMET CITY | Municipal officials are likely to spend the next two to three months trying to craft an ordinance to protect non-U.S. citizens living this south suburb from being harassed by local law enforcement because of their immigration status.

The City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a measure sending the issue to the council's ordinance and resolution committee. If Calumet City ultimately passes such an ordinance, they would join Chicago, west suburban Cicero and Cook County.

First Ward Alderman Edward Gonzalez brought the issue to the council's attention, saying he and Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush recently attended a forum at St. Victor's Church. Members of the congregation with a heavy Latino segment told them they were concerned about police harassment.

Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush will do anything for the vote. If they are illegal, they can't vote.

Quote :: While the most recent Census Bureau report on Calumet City showed the south suburb with an 11 percent Latino population, local activists note that figure is nine years old, and they believe it has grown by now to about 20 percent of the total population of 37,064.

While Qualkinbush on Thursday did not comment on the issue, Gonzalez said he is proceeding only because he believes he has the mayor's support.

Ordinances in some big cities put restrictions on law enforcement officers preventing them from stopping and questioning people about their immigration status, not allowing them to pass along information they might obtain about a person's immigration status to federal authorities, and restricting their cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Advocates of such laws contend that enforcement of federal immigration laws is a complex issue best left to authorities trained in all its nuances.

So now Alderman Gonzalez is an authority on immigration. Or are his friends here illegally?

Quote :: "This isn't really about 'safe haven' as much as it's about keeping families together," said Gonzalez, who is an Illinois State Police officer. "It's wrong the way deportation can split a family apart."

If they go back to where they belong, they will not be apart.

Quote :: The ordinance and resolution committee chaired by 3rd Ward Alderman Thaddeus Jones is expected to schedule its first hearing on the issue some time later this month.

Gonzalez said he wants an ordinance relevant to Calumet City by April or May when a vote by the full City Council could take place.

Domingo Hernandez, a local resident whose family has been in the United States for at least four generations, said such an ordinance is unnecessary for Calumet City.

"Just because these other cities passed laws allowing illegals to be here and tell them how they should be treated does not mean we should do the same," Hernandez said. "We're talking about passing a law they don't get in their own country. I don't think it's fair."

I think the residents of Calumet City should show up at these hearings and protest this latest kick in the balls. Qualkinbush, just received your latest list of crap in the mail. Personally, I hope you lose, and they send you packing to Indiana, where you do live. Debate the issues.....

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» right idea, wrong city!