Munster cops visiting residents at home

BY CARMEN McCOLLUM
cmccollum@nwitimes.com
219.662.5337 | Sunday, February 08, 2009
MUNSTER | Most people don't expect to see a team of police officers walking up and down the street, trudging through snow and between parked cars just to hear what they've got to say about the neighborhood.

But that's just what's happening in Munster, where new Police Chief Steve Scheckel wants to give residents an opportunity to talk directly with officers about their community.

Scheckel put together a team of people to go door to door and ask residents about problems in their neighborhood. The team includes a code enforcement officer, a technical patrol officer and another police officer who are visiting each home.

Scheckel said it's all about quality of life issues. He said the project began in January.

They started in the northwest section of Munster, primarily the area from Manor Drive to the state line and everything north of Ridge Road. So far, they have had contact with 227 homeowners. Scheckel said the visits will move east of Calumet Avenue next.

"Residents were very surprised and a little hesitant when we first began knocking on doors," Scheckel said. "We had to assure them that nothing was wrong and we wanted them to be comfortable with officers at their home."

He said residents talked about a variety of subjects including potholes, potential drug houses, barking dogs, speeding vehicles and street lights that don't work.

"Some people also talked about the problems as a result of the floods," he said. "They mentioned people who live in Indiana with vehicles registered in Illinois and one person was upset at seeing a town employee talking on a cell phone while driving."

Once all the information has been gathered, the Police Department will put it on a spreadsheet and refer the problem to the proper department.

Scheckel said he really wanted to put a "finger on the pulse of the community" to better assist residents. He said he's been working to come up with fresh ideas to find out what's going on in the different neighborhoods.

Town Council President Mike Mellon said Munster always has been very involved in community-oriented policing.

"Steve has a vision for intelligence-based policing," Mellon said. "He wants to implement that. He wants to get feedback from the residents so that he understands their needs and concerns, and knows what's going on in the community."

Scheckel has a very clear vision for the Police Department, which is one of the reasons he was chosen as chief, Mellon said, adding the council fully supports his plans.