New Year’s Eve patrols up

Dec. 30, 2005 

GARY — Party on, city officials say.

And for the best time, don’t celebrate by driving drunk or firing weapons on New Year’s Eve.

Extra police will be on duty Saturday evening through early Sunday, and 18 squad cars will be equipped with mobile gunshot detectors, Mayor Scott King said at a news conference at City Hall on Thursday.

“There are many appropriate ways to celebrate,” King said. “Firing a gun into the air is not one of them.”

Anyone arrested on misdemeanor drunken driving or weapons violations must pay $2,000 to get out of jail, King noted. Gary City Court Judge Deidre Monroe ordered higher bonds on certain charges during the holiday.

Flanked by police Chief Garnett Watson and Deputy Chief Jeff Kumorek, King recited statistics about the speed of bullets as they fall back to earth and the level of damage they can cause.

The mayor said he didn’t believe anyone would fire a gun in celebration with the intent of hurting another person or damaging property.

“We’re here to remind you that it can happen, and in a densely populated area it is likely to happen. Don’t do it this weekend,” King said.

Gary was the first city in the Midwest to purchase the ShotSpotter gunfire detection system, which uses sensors and computer technology to locate the source of shots within a few feet as soon as they occur. Company representatives are bringing mobile units similar to those used by military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to the city for use in squad cars on Saturday, King said.

Watson said the department’s mobile communication center will be operating to coordinate the gunfire located by ShotSpotter in various parts of the city and assist officers in quick response to areas identified.

Anyone caught firing a weapon will be arrested, Watson insisted. The additional police units will also be focused on drunken drivers, he added.