Residents can call Hobart cop with neighborhood concerns

HOBART | Residents with neighborhood complaints or concerns have someone in the Police Department to contact, Chief Rick Zormier said.

Zero-tolerance alcohol policy for on-duty police emerges

SPRINGFIELD | Illinois lawmakers are pushing for a zero-tolerance alcohol policy for on-duty police officers, yet recent findings could slow negotiations.

St. John police chief selected to lead crime task force panel

St. John Police Chief Fred Frego was selected Friday to be president of the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force executive board.

State may direct how Lake income tax is spent

INDIANAPOLIS | The General Assembly may control how most of the money raised by a Lake County income tax can be spent.

Rogers ensures public records remain accessible

INDIANAPOLIS | Led by state Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, the Indiana Senate last week voted to maintain a requirement schools publish their annual financial reports in widely read newspapers instead of on poorly trafficked websites.

6 reports of vehicle mischief are reported to Hobart police

HOBART | Six reports of mischief to vehicles were made by residents on Thursday, police said.

The Daily Fix

Offering perspective on today's issues

EDITORIAL: Expand background checks to limit violence

An Indiana House committee on Tuesday approved a plan that would require each of the state's public schools to have an employee packing heat on the premises during school hours. Those legislators' response to the problem of guns in schools is to require guns in schools. Seriously.

Fate of Lake income tax back in county's hands

INDIANAPOLIS | State lawmakers have decided for now to leave the debate over a Lake County income tax to the County Council, but plans for Gary airport board reforms and studies of a Steel City port and trauma hospital are in danger following a contentious House committee hearing.

PHIL WIELAND: Just because speech is free, we don't have to hear it

I've complained in the past about Porter County's emergency warning sirens because they supposedly warn us of about 50 different potential disasters, and it can be tough figuring out why they are going off.

House approves revised plan for hospital police departments

INDIANAPOLIS | A proposal allowing public and private Indiana hospitals to establish their own police departments was approved 84-8 by the House on Thursday, but only after lawmakers made several major changes to the Senate-approved version.

Law enforcement, public must work together

So what is law enforcement in the region facing this year? Well, drugs, gangs and increased senseless violence come to mind.

Cops ask help identifying man suspected in gift card scheme

HOBART | Police are seeking residents' help identifying a man they believe was involved in a Jan. 24 crime.

Off-duty police to patrol Camelot

PORTAGE | Police here will beef up patrols in the Camelot Manor and Camelot Estates mobile home parks on the city's southwest side.

Daniels makes her mark on state's criminal sentencing laws

INDIANAPOLIS | Former Gov. Mitch Daniels may have been the loudest voice calling for the type of criminal sentencing reform legislation that was approved by a state House committee last week, but it was his sister, Deborah Daniels, a former U.S. attorney and U.S. assistant attorney general, …

Woman who took wallet at Portage Walmart captured on video

PORTAGE | Portage police are seeking the public's help in identifying a woman who allegedly reached into a woman's purse in Walmart and stole her wallet.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Prompt helped NYC during, after hurricane

It has been more than two months since Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast. However, we are still being asked about our involvement.

EDITORIAL: Pool resources to fight crime better

Griffith, Highland and Munster are in the midst of forming a new task force that would increase the police presence in trouble spots, as identified by crime mapping.

EDITORIAL: Keep pushing on E911 consolidation

Police and fire officials in Lake County have accepted an offer they couldn't refuse -- free space at the Lake County Government Center in Crown Point to house the consolidated E911 dispatch service. It's a smart move.

"What is a reasonable expenditure for tax dollars?"

Christine Griggs, Hammond | "Provide for public services like the fire department and police department. I would increase hiring, buying new equipment and providing better pay."