Region’s busiest police department made great progress in 2021, chief says

Officers at the Region’s busiest police department received a 12% raise and increased pension benefits, added 60 new fully-equipped vehicles to their fleet in 2020 and 2021, and installed a license plate reader system.

The department partnered with the Neighbors by Ring app to give residents another option for anonymously sharing information, and a new fund was created to offer reward money for information leading to arrests and convictions in crimes within the city.

Officers received new tools to help them enforce traffic laws, investigate suspected drugged driving and patrol the city’s beaches.

Police also continued their efforts to interrupt gun violence as part of the Gary for Live initiative, which also offers social services to residents involved in violent crimes through a partnership with Goodwill Industries.

“It’s not soft on the people that are involved,” Evans said. “It’s not giving them a pay for not playing. It’s really to help them get out of a lifestyle.”

‘Violence is everywhere’

The number of homicides in Gary fell from 54 in 2020 to 48 in 2021, while the number of nonfatal shootings increased from 178 to 183, police Cmdr. Jack Hamady said.

The Gary for Life initiative typically focuses on gang-related violence.

The number of gang-related homicides has fallen or remained unchanged since 2015, with 29 in 2015; 18 in 2016, 2017 and 2018; 13 in 2019; 11 in 2020 and 10 in 2021, Hamady said.

Despite the increase last year in nonfatal gunshot wound victims, the percentage of those shootings that were gang-related decreased.

Police said 38 of 178, or 21%, of nonfatal gunshot wound cases in 2020 were believed to be gang related. In 2021, 34 of 183, or 18.5% were gang-related.

Gun violence is everywhere, and it’s a problem that will take more than law enforcement to solve, Evans said. 

“Our nation is experiencing a huge amount of trauma as a result of violence, particularly gun violence,” the chief said. “I point that out, because it’s so quick, and it can hurt so many people.”

Evans was with his daughter at a local Walmart during a recent shooting there, he said.

“I was inside shopping on a Sunday, our daily routine,” he said. “Movie theaters. Concerts. Churches. Synagogues. Schools. Grocery stores. Massage parlors. Restaurants. Malls. Everywhere. Parks. You almost feel like there’s no safe haven anymore.”

People often are surprised when Evans shows up at their homes after they or a family member has been shot, or someone in their family is considered a risk for retaliatory violence.

Each “custom notification” Evans and others conduct as part of the Gary for Life initiative is different, he said. What he says depends on the circumstances, the relationships of those involved and more.

Evans often tells residents he doesn’t want to return to their door to tell them their loved one is dead because of the continuous violence.

“Let us handle the situation. Let us get involved. If you want to tell us something, tell me something. Let me know,” he said. “If you need some help with something, let us know. We have a bunch of chaplains here that open up their churches for funerals or counseling or whatever at no cost. When we’re able to do that, it really helps.”

Pay, benefits boosted

Law enforcement agencies across the nation have been struggling recently to hire new officers, but the Gary Police Department managed to end 2021 with a net increase of seven officers, Evans said.

The department hired 15 officers last year, but also saw a number of retirements and departures, he said.

Another 17 candidates are currently in the hiring process. The department has also added a couple of officers through “emergency hires,” which allow certified officers police to change agencies.

The Gary Police Department was “a poster child” for the loss of experienced officers to other departments, but pay raises and better pension benefits are now helping attract more officers, Evans said.

The total number of officers has increased from just more than 140 in 2020 to 153 in 2021.

Mayor Jerome Prince’s administration and the City Council came together to give officers a 12% pay raise, which put the city in the median among Lake County agencies in terms of salary.

“We also had a very good pension benefit increase, which gives us a first class patrolman pension retirement rate,” he said.

The change allows Gary officers to retire at “a really decent salary,” Evans said.

The city also expanded insurance benefits, so officers and their families can remain on the city’s insurance until the officers are 65 years old.

The Gary and Hammond police departments are the only two agencies in the Region offering such pension and insurance benefits, Hamady said.

Evans often says those who want to see change in law enforcement should join the department. 

“That’s one of the goals of hiring as many people as we can: to change that narrative that the police are here to do something against the community,” he said. “If that’s a feeling people have, we’re wide open, we’re transparent.”

The Gary Police Department is also the most diverse in Northwest Indiana, he said.

Hamady said morale has increased because of the improvements Evans and the city have made.

“We’re trying to be progressive,” he said. “If you want to come and do police work and be a good policeman, come to the Gary Police Department. We’re upgrading the equipment. There will be take-home policies in the near future, once we get everyone a car. I think the department is moving forward.”

New cars, new technology

Evans said the city purchased 60 news vehicles for the police department, including 18 in 2020 and 39 in 2021.

The new vehicles will be fully equipped with in-car computers, front and rear radar, and an e-ticketing system.

E-tickets allow officers to scan a person’s driver’s license and don’t require anyone to sign anything, which is a plus given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the chief said.

Hard Rock Casino also donated two Ford F-150s to the department, which are “almost invisible” when used for traffic enforcement and are the busiest vehicles in inclement weather, Evans said.

The city installed 30 license plate reader cameras throughout the city, and they generated more than 3 million reads within a few months.

“Some of those are the same vehicles going through multiple times, but that is a huge amount of traffic for our city,” Evans said.

Police also have a car-mounted license plate reader, which is use by patrol officers and the Multi-Agency Gang Unit. The cameras allow police to tap into data in the Flock Safety and Vigilant systems, which are used in communities nationwide.

The department has generated 65 cases using the stationary cameras and another 17 with the mobile camera, Hamady said.

The license plate reader system has helped police take a suspect in a businesswoman’s homicide into custody and led to the swift recovery in Chicago of a vehicle used in a homicide on Fifth Avenue last month, police said.

Officers are able to immediately upload vehicle information into the system. Without the license plate readers, Gary police likely would not have learned for weeks that a vehicle used in a homicide was recovered in Chicago, Evans said.

“By that time, it would have lost a lot of evidentiary value,” he said.

The cameras have helped police recover more than 15 stolen vehicles. They’ve also led to a number of pursuits.

Evans said pursuits should only happen while it’s safe.

“The officer can self-terminate,” he said. “The supervisors terminate pursuits all the time, because what we don’t want to do is chase someone and have an accident where someone gets hurt — either the public or our officers.”

Investigative tools added

Gary has seen an increase in fatal traffic crashes during the past three years, rising from eight in 2019 to 15 in 2020 and 30 in 2021.

“I don’t know if it happened after COVID or before, but we have a lot more traffic out here and often people are driving very erratically,” Evans said. “It’s all over. It’s not just here.”

Evans said he hopes the department’s new LIDAR, or light detective and ranging, instruments will help traffic and patrol officers be more proactive as they work to reduce the number of crashes.

The department also recently received several SoToxa Mobile Test System units, which allow officers to test drivers for cocaine, methamphetamines, opiates, amphetamines, benzodiazepines and marijuana.

The units, which were distributed to 19 Lake County police departments, can help officers figure out what’s going on if a driver appears to be impaired or is involved in a crash, Hamady said.

If the handheld units produce a positive result, officers still must apply for a search warrant to obtain evidence that could be admissible in court.

The department purchased 100 new Taser 7 devices last year, which feature automatic uploads every time the Taser is fired or used, Evans said.

The Tasers also include a virtual reality headset, which officers can use to train with the Taser or firearms.

Gary police started using the LeadsOnline service, which can help officers track stolen property.

The department also partners with the Neighbors by Ring app, which allows residents to communicate anonymously with police, share video from their doorbell cameras and put out alerts.

Evans said he became interested in partnering with Ring after one of its doorbell cameras helped detectives identify two suspects in the 2019 homicide of a woman and her 13-year-old son in the city’s Miller section.

“The more people that take part in it, the better we’ll be,” he said.

Other investments made

In a separate effort to encourage more engagement with the community, Evans started a fund for reward money, Hamady said.

“We didn’t have a budget for reward money,” Hamady said. “Usually, the family had to put it up, and the chief felt we needed to earmark some money as an agency.”

Rewards will be offered in cases where investigators “may need a name or a tip to solve it,” Hamady said. “Where we’re so close, but there’s something that’s missing.”

Evans said there may be witnesses who might be willing to come forward, if they know money might be available to help them relocate.

Every year, the city sees at least one drowning at its Lake Michigan beaches.

Last year, the department purchased 10 new ATVs, which are mostly used for beach patrol. The last time the department purchased ATVs was in 2010, Evans said.

“It’s the only type of vehicle that can allow them to get around quickly and find someone that’s in distress,” he said.

Two of the new ATVs feature side-by-side seating, and all of them carry first aid equipment.

NIPSCO purchased new tactical vests for Gary’s SWAT team after two officers were shot during a standoff in 2020, Evans said. An anonymous donor purchased half of the team’s new helmets, and the department bought the other half.

The SWAT team also received a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle through the federal Law Enforcement Support program, Evans said.

“One of the things we’ve noticed is that when we bring it out, it really is intimidating to the individuals and they give up, which is what we want,” the chief said. “We want people to give up and surrender and comply. We don’t want to hurt anyone.”