Indiana University Northwest

Gary Indiana - University Park

Creating A Safer Community

The Gary Police Department has made a major commitment to public safety in the University Park neighborhood through the Community Oriented Policing (COPS) Program. The residents of University Park are also clearly concerned about public safety in the community. The following recommendations focus on the way the design of buildings, streets and public places, the condition of the community and local communication can all help reduce crime.

PUT EYES ON THE STREET SO PEOPLE CAN SEE AND BE SEEN

  • Locate front doors and windows facing a front yard and the sidewalk in order to put eyes on the street.
  • Bring buildings to the sidewalk on major streets such as Broadway and Ridge Road.
  • Ensure doors and windows on storefronts, offices and civic buildings face streets and are transparent.
  • Place pocket parks and plazas at appropriate corners.
  • Complete the street grid and connect all streets to avoid dark, in-accessible cul-de-sacs.

MAXIMIZE THE PRESENCE OF PEOPLE ON WEEKDAYS, EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS

  • Create a diverse mix of uses to support activity through the day and evening and on weekends.
  • Create places that bring residents together by mixing residential, retail, business, learning and culture.
  • Design streets with the pedestrian in mind to support sidewalk activity, with pedestrian-scaled sidewalks, crosswalks, lighting and landscaping.
  • Respect the human scale in the design of streets and buildings.

MANAGE THE COMMUNITY

  • Maintain homes, businesses, institutions, streets and parks.
  • Provide information kiosks to help people know where they are and to find their way.
  • Secure or remove vacant buildings.
  • Secure undeveloped land adjacent to homes
  • Add pedestrian-scaled street lights.
  • Avoid residential compounds, gates, blank walls on the street, solid shutters on store fronts.
  • Clean out the undergrowth at the edges of major wooded areas.

COMMUNICATE

  • Hold regular meetings between residents, businesses, institutions and the police and public officials to report problems and create solutions.
  • Ensure there is coordination between the COP‘s program and community organizations.