Growth follows safety

Greg Andrews’ [April 14] column “Kokomo, like Indy, trying to sway suburbanites to move in” mentions mayors of Kokomo and Indianapolis wanting to convince north side suburbanites to move to their respective cities to increase their tax bases. Both mayors stressed the need to make their communities more desirable as places to live, not just work.

I live in downtown Indianapolis and love it. However, despite the numerous benefits of city living, we will not attract residents from the suburbs until we have a stronger police presence. Suburbanites will not move here until they feel safe.

I have been trying to convince a friend from Fishers to move downtown. On New Year’s Eve, he and I drove past one of my neighbors standing on his front porch firing a weapon in the air. The streets around my house sounded like a war zone with other neighbors doing the same. We did not see a police car for blocks and no doubt the police were busy on emergency runs.

We need to hire more police officers to patrol the streets on a non-emergency basis and provide a safe living space. Then we can attract new residents.
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Dena Farling