The Chesterton Police Department is now a member of the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force and--should a heater of a case emerge in town--will have at its disposal the technical resources and gumshoe expertise of any number of seasoned detectives from a consortium of law enforcement agencies throughout the region.

At its meeting Wednesday evening, the Police Commission voted 3-0, on the recommendation of Police Chief George Nelson and of the Investigations Division, to sign an intergovernmental agreement with the Task Force and to pay the one-time initial membership fee of $500.

Under that agreement, the CPD has the privilege of requesting investigative assistance from the Task Force for such real or suspected crimes as homicide; non-parental kidnapping; serial arson, rape, or sexual assault; police-involved shooting, the use of deadly force, or in-custody death; or any other “exceptionally heinous offenses.”

At the moment upwards of 35 detectives belong to the Task Force, which is currently headed by Det. Ken Croft, commander of the Dyer Police Department’s Detective Bureau. And membership in the Task Force has its advantages. For one thing, a smaller department like the CPD, with only a few detectives, suddenly has as many as it needs for as long as it needs to get a major crime investigation under control, with no worries about the cost of overtime. Many of those have specialized knowledge and they all have their own networks of contacts.

In addition, the Task Force takes over case management, in consultation with the requesting agency, teams detectives into pairs and tasks them, and can deploy them in shifts to spell their colleagues.

In October 2007 Det. Mike Veal of the Porter Police Department credited the quick resolution of a fatal arson in that town to the assistance of the Task Force. As Veal told the Chesterton Tribune at the time, “I called the Task Force at 7:05 a.m. By 8:30 a.m. I had eight good seasoned detectives who their departments were willing to cut loose. They did interviews, the legwork, they helped put it together.”

Nelson told the Tribune after the meeting that the CPD’s own contribution to the Task Force will be Det. Lt. Dave Cincoski, commander of the Investigations Division, who brings his own investigative experience as well as particular expertise in accident reconstruction and voice stress analysis.

In other business, Nelson told the commission that he is working on an application for a no-match, 100-percent federal grant, administered through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, for the purchase of a high-tech photogrammetry system which computer-generates three-dimensional images of major crime and accident scenes.

Nelson said that that such a system would significantly reduce the two to four hours it typically takes investigators to process scenes and allow them to start working cases that much faster.

In a note to Nelson and Chief Communications Clerk Sandy Melton, a resident thanked both for their help in resolving a matter of concern to her family. “Your attention to my concerns was so diligent and courteous that I can’t thank you enough,” she wrote.

The commission thanked Jacquelene and Dean Lanter for their generous contribution to the CPD Gift Fund of $50.

In June Sgt. Fred Shivalec, the CPD Directed Patrol Officer, investigated the following citizen complaints: traffic violations on Woodlawn Ave., West Indiana Ave. at Seventh Street, 1050N at 50E, the 900 block of South 19th Street, and Fifth Street at 1100N.

Last month Shivalec issued 51 written warnings, 28 citations, and one parking violation, and filed one misdemeanor charge of driving while suspended.

In June the CPD responded to 1,606 calls (1,546 in May), filed 108 cases (84), issued 82 citations and 179 warnings (137 and 189), filed eight felony charges and 44 misdemeanor (20 and 21), served three warrants (seven), and investigated 27 accidents with seven injuries (36 accidents with three injuries).

No juvenile cases were assigned in June (30 in May with 28 of them closed).

Calls for service in June included 53 alarms (48 in May), 25 animal complaints (19), two reports of battery (two), seven burglaries (four), 13 domestic calls (13), one report of forgery (zero), 18 reports of fraud (nine), three missing persons (four), 15 parking violations (nine), one peddler complaint (eight), eight residence checks (11), four runaways (one), one report of shoplifting (two), 46 suspicious circumstances (50), 30 suspicious persons (20), 41 suspicious vehicles (25), 35 thefts (21), 199 traffic stops (233), three train complaints (one), 30 incidents of vandalism (23), 48 miscellaneous juvenile complaints (47), three burning complaints (zero), 12 noise complaints (15), nine fireworks complaints (three), and one report of identity theft (two).

Posted 7/9/2009