Mayor hears concerns about safety from residents

An April 18 shooting in Bryan Park spawned a citywide study into the public safety of Bloomington at large.\nTuesday night Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan met with two dozen city residents at the Housing Authority office to hear their views on the topic. \n"We're here to talk some and listen a lot," Kruzan said. "This is the start of an open dialogue."\nMabel Foster, a resident of Crestmont, took advantage of this opportunity to ask about police response to complaints. \n"It seems that these people tend to get away with a lot," she said.\nScott Oldham, a patrol supervisor with the Bloomington Police Department, quickly responded by saying that often staff is unavailable to deal with all the problems reported, particularly those that aren't as serious. \n"These officers are taking care of these problems to the best of their ability," he said. "It's all about priorities." \nOne priority of many of the residents gathered Tuesday was the reinstatement of neighborhood watches. Beverly Calender-Anderson, director of the Bloomington Safe and Civil City Program, explained her organization's willingness to organize such groups in any neighborhood in corporation with the police department.\nThe meeting was held in the heart of Crestmont Neighborhood, defined as the area between 11th and 14th streets and between Monroe Street and Lynburg Avenue. The approximately 250 residences are often reached with foot traffic, resulting in a neighborhood plagued with violence and drug-related problems, said Marc Haggerty, a Crestmont resident for the last 30 years.\n"This is a disadvantaged community: we take in the old, we take in the physically handicapped, we take in the AIDS patients and we don't even have a grocery store or a laundromat," Haggerty said. "What it takes to get something done is a sustained public pressure."\nKruzan responded to concerns by reaffirming his commitment to the area.\n"The bottom line from all of us is that we care about this neighborhood," Kruzan said. "You should have no other expectation than your neighborhood being safe and clean."\nFor the police department, this means increasing foot and bike patrol, as well as making strides to improve communication within the police force, said Capt. Mike Diekoff. \nHe also stressed the department's commitment to keeping the name of those who report problems anonymous, quelling concerns of potential backlash from many at the meeting.\nCalender-Anderson stressed the inclusion of all neighborhoods in the overall public safety of Bloomington, including students. \n"They live in neighborhoods, too," she said. "Of course we welcome students."\nAnderson hopes to continue holding similar meetings throughout the city.