WASHINGTON, D.C.–Keeping you safe is one of the priorities of the hundreds of mayors gathered in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers, said he believes more cams could help solve crimes in Hoosier communities.
“There’s a lot of conversation going on about body cameras, the use of body cams,” said Myers, a former cop, who worked for over 20 years with the Greenwood Police Dept., nine of those as a detective. He said community policing and ways to put more police officers on the streets has also been discussed.
But, cameras could be a catalyst to solving neighborhood crimes, he said.
“They can actually get video from the neighbors to try to solve crimes quicker,” said Myers of security cameras that people mount on their doors as part of their surveillance systems. “A lot of people already have the ring door cameras and there’s a system setup where law enforcement can access those in the area.”
Myers said he believes talking with people and getting permission to use the camera footage as evidence could be key to solving more crimes.
He said he believes much of the crime that plagues his community comes from Indianapolis, which has been acknowledged by Fraternal Order of Police Local 86 Pres. Rick Snyder.
“The majority of the people we arrested were not residents,” he said of his time as a cop. He said police should approach crime proactively, not reactively, looking to stop it before it happens.
Myers said he wants Greenwood to be a healthier city, so he’s taking some info from D.C. back home to fight childhood obesity. He’s already started a mayor’s youth council at Greenwood High School for that purpose.
“There’s a big push by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to work with the municipalities and the school systems to get healthier cities to get kids more involved in outdoor activities,” said Myers.
He said Indiana is the country’s third most obese state and that ends up costing a lot in health care and health insurance.
PHOTO: Chris Davis/Emmis
