01192012 - FAX To: Humane Society Of Hobart - Deaths of Abbi and Bailey -- Porter County Indiana -- Cause No. 64D01-0708-DR-7804

01182012 - News Article - Velazquez outspent Snyder in failed mayoral re-election bid

Velazquez outspent Snyder in failed mayoral re-election bid
NWI Times
Jan 18, 2012
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/duneland/velazquez-outspent-snyder-in-failed-mayoral-re-election-bid/article_f7d64b76-ddf9-5aa4-b521-750539bdbce9.html
VALPARAISO | Democrat Olga Velazquez outspent Republican opponent James Snyder in her unsuccessful bid last year to hold on to the mayor's office in Portage.

Velazquez spent $188,776 during the year as compared with Snyder's $119,034, according to annual campaign finance forms that were to be filed with the county by noon Wednesday and Snyder.

Snyder's campaign committee is in the hole $27,400 for office expenses.

Velazquez reportedly raised $9,211 of her funds during the final month leading up the election. Snyder raised $39,720 during the same period. Both of the candidates raked in more than $100,000.

The largest share of Snyder's contributions during the last month of the campaign came from various political action committees, including $4,400 from the Crossroads PAC in Schererville, for a total of $13,293 for the year.

Crossroads PAC is described on its Facebook page as, "Concerned citizens who want to be active and involved in promoting conservative values."

Snyder took in $3,500 during the final month from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 in Countryside, Ill.; $3,000 from Indiana Realtors Political Action Committee; $2,000 from the Portage Firefighters Local 3151 and $500 from Conservatives Organized to Advance Tomorrow's Solutions of Indianapolis.

The next largest group to contribute to the final leg of Snyder's campaign were individuals at $11,620, followed by $7,500 from various corporations and $7,200 from other organizations, including $2,500 from the Indiana State Republican Party, $1,200 from Porter County Republicans and $1,000 each from Friends of Ed Soliday Committee and (Ed) Charbonneau for Senate.

Velazquez took in the largest share of her money, or $4,470, in the final month of the campaign from various political action committees. Leading the way was $1,500 from the Ironworkers 395 for a total of $4,800 for the year, $1,000 from Jonathan Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee in Evansville and $800 from Boilermakers Local 374 in Hammond.

She also received $2,200 from individuals, $766 from other organizations and $570 from corporations.

01032012 - News Article - Former police chief Becker addresses Portage Exchange Club

Former police chief Becker addresses Portage Exchange Club
NWI Times
Jan 3, 2012
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/portage/former-police-chief-becker-addresses-portage-exchangeclub/article_ae6844cd-e3b9-5b6a-bd84-913647c58615.html
PORTAGE | The Portage Exchange Club recently welcomed former Portage Police Chief Mark Becker for his final report on the city of Portage. He shared some information that he had compiled in a Threat Assessment and Overview for newly elected mayor James Snyder.

Becker said that in his opinion one of the police department's main focuses should remain making Portage an unwelcome place for criminal elements.

Marijuana still appears to be the drug of choice with prescription drugs being a close second.

"It is up to parents and grandparents to make sure that it is not easy for kids to get access to their prescription drugs," Becker said.

He talked about "designer drugs" that have appeared on the scene. Drugs such as K2, Spice, Ka-Boom and bath salts are synthetically made. Their makers change ingredients often, making it more difficult to outlaw them.

"We don't know the long-term effects of these drugs, so they are particularly worrisome," he explained. "One of the possible side effects of synthetic drugs is self-destructive behavior."

He discussed the consolidation of 911 dispatchers. While it brought financial savings of over $650,000 to the city, he acknowledged some of the problems caused by the implementation of the state-mandated initiative.

"We did not jump into it. The consolidation effort took about a year of careful considerations and research with many meetings, many discussions with folks around the country who had consolidated. We were very thorough."

Looking back at some of the programs of which he was most proud, Becker cited the STOP team, increased traffic stops and increased continuing education for the officers.

"The STOP team has three great officers who are very aggressive in fighting crime and are able to think outside the box. They visit schools, enforce speed zones, watch out for signs of graffiti and drugs. They stopped about 1400 cars in three years, which resulted in 300 arrests. We developed over 100 informants during those three years, all of whom helped us keep track of the changing crime issues facing the community.

"Overall, we had about 13,000 traffic stops this year, up from 4- to 5000 in previous years. Increased traffic stops have been shown to result in a reduction of crime. People with criminal intentions are not always conscientious about keeping their registration or license plate stickers up to date. They don't want to come to a city where they know they might be stopped for that kind of violation, which could lead to weapons or drug charges.

"We've also offered incentives for our officers to receive continuing education. This raises the level of professionalism in the department."

Becker also praised the Arrive Alive Program, which targets youthful drivers; the Citizens Academy, a ten-week program that allows citizens to experience much of what officers experience on a daily basis; and Cops for a Cure that raised over $19,000 for the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure Cancer Race.

Becker himself will be involved in providing continuing education. He is scheduled for sixteen presentations through St. Petersburg College in Florida over the course of the next year. He will continue to provide his "Chief's e-mail" to those who wish to receive it. His new e-mail is markbecker2012@gmail.com.

"We found that the ‘Chief's e-mail' was a great way to engage the community," he said. "I wish Mayor Snyder and the new police chief Troy Williams much success. I am sorry to be leaving Portage, but I think my tenure here was successful. Statistics show that over the course of four years, all crime has dropped by about 1%. That may not sound like much, but we have a larger population than we had four years ago. Usually, more people equals more opportunities for crime, but our crime rate dropped.

"Being a police officer is often a thankless job. I tell my officers, ‘Try to treat everyone as you would want your family member to be treated in the same circumstances.' These officers see the darkest, ugliest things in life at a ridiculously low salary in Indiana with low retirement benefits, and they are still out there doing the best that they can every day."