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Speaker 1: WTLC AM, W236 CR Indianapolis. Broadcasting from the Praise Indy Indigo Studios. Discussing the issues that matter to you. It's Community Connection with Tina Cosby on Praise AM 1310, 95.1 FM.
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Speaker 2: And good afternoon and welcome to Community Connection. I'm Tina Cosby. Today is Tuesday, October the 13th, 317-480-1310. 317-480-1310 is the number to the show. And on the show today, ready or not, the holiday season is just around the corner.
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Speaker 3: Ready or not, yeah.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, ready or not, here it comes. I was hearing some Christmas music on something yesterday.
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Speaker 3: Are you serious?
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Speaker 4: Oh, yeah.
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Speaker 3: Christmas music?
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Speaker 5: Come on now.
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Speaker 6: Today? Today?
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Speaker 2: Yesterday.
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Speaker 3: Yesterday, really? Oh, it's a little too soon for that.
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Speaker 2: Nah, no.
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Speaker 3: You don't think so? No, no, no, no. Maybe it's not. I don't know. I don't know. I'd say give it another week. Then maybe some Christmas music.
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Speaker 2: Well, we're going to be changing Christmas music before, what is it, before the, what do you call it, fallback.
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Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah.
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Speaker 3: Changing the clock. Oh, that's going to happen on.
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Speaker 1: The 1st, I think.
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Speaker 2: November 1st. Yeah, the very 1st.
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Speaker 3: Isn't that the earliest? It seems like it's always been like a little bit, four days end in November or something.
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Speaker 6: Oh, really?
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Speaker 3: Uh, maybe it's, I don't know.
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Speaker 2: It seems like, I know it doesn't last long enough.
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Speaker 3: You got that right.
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Speaker 2: It seems like January 1st, you're springing forward again.
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Speaker 4: I mean, that's true.
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Speaker 2: You know, that's an exaggeration, but it sure feels.
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Speaker 3: Like it does feel like it. You're right.
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Speaker 2: We'll, uh, we'll get another, you know, another hour coming up.
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Speaker 3: Another hour.
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Speaker 5: Another hour.
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Speaker 3: So yeah.
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Speaker 7: Coming up.
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Speaker 2: Coming up. Well, again, today is Tuesday. Let's see what all we got. We got so much stuff today.
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Speaker 3: It's a packed show.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, pretty much. Um, 317-480-1310, 317-480-1310 is the number. Coming up in our second hour, speaking of fact, we'll speak with the Madam Walker Legacy Center about what festive events they have on the calendar for the community to enjoy for this upcoming holiday season. So good for that. Also in our second hour, IMPD Chief Tanya Terry joins us. If you have a question or what have you, we will have some time. We'll have about 30 minutes or so. You can call in, get your questions together. It has to be a question so we can get everybody in if we get a chance to get to as many as we possibly can.
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Speaker 3: Yeah.
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Speaker 2: We're going to ask her about the latest from that flock camera investigation and.
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Speaker 3: A lot more. Love to know more about that. That's for sure.
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Speaker 2: Well, yeah, yeah. I'd like to know how they're handling it now. Looks like good. Looks like it's coming down to a couple of things that had to change very quickly. A little later this hour, voter education contributor Julia Vaughn, she'll be joining us for her weekly session. Yesterday was a holiday, so Julia's coming today. She usually comes on Monday. So she's coming today. So right now, though, the lines are open for what might be on your mind.
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Speaker 8: 317-480-1310. 317-480-1310.
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Speaker 2: 480-1310 is the number to the show. The phone lines are open. And, you know, Eric, I couldn't believe my ears when I heard. I was listening to a weather report a short time ago and I couldn't believe they said we could reach 90 today.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's what they're saying.
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Speaker 4: Ninety.
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Speaker 3: Very likely today. I couldn't either. It's almost how do you dress? You leave in the morning, it might be 45. I know, and then you're burning out. 92 in the afternoon. It's 84 right now downtown. Got some sun and clouds in the area going for 90. Yeah, 90 this afternoon. A lot of sunshine later this afternoon. Winds out of the southwest about 10 miles per hour, getting as high as 21 miles per hour. So that's adding even more warmth into the area. Then tonight, mostly clear, going to get down to about 71. And tomorrow, here come the showers. Chance of showers early morning tomorrow. Looks like most of the day, maybe even some thunder in there, too. Around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. High near 81 tomorrow. And in case you're wondering, Thursday, get ready for more showers. And some thunderstorms before midnight on Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Looks like a high on Thursday, about 76. And, Tina, you ready for this?
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Speaker 6: Mm-hmm.
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Speaker 3: Friday? Showers will be ending high around 60.
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Speaker 4: Hmm.
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Speaker 9: Yeah.
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Speaker 3: And windy. Add some wind in there, too, on Friday.
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Speaker 2: It's going to be cool.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.
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Speaker 3: It's going to be cool.
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Speaker 2: Cool and high. Okay, we got it.
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Speaker 3: So that's where we are right now.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, the lows will be around the 30-ish.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, in the 30-ish. Yeah, it could be in the 30s. No frost yet, which is good. Not yet. Well, that's good.
00:04:57
Speaker 2: I want to remind everyone, 317-480-1310. Again, the lines are open until.
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Speaker 2: For whatever's on your mind for now. And then, you know, we'll stay on topic when our guests get here. 317-480-1310, 317-480-1310. But election day is coming up Tuesday, November the 3rd. Tuesday, November the 3rd is the day for midterm election day. 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. here in the state of Indiana. On election day, there will be more than 100 vote centers I don't have the exact count. I can get it. But the bottom line is in Marion County, Indianapolis and Marion County, you have a number of possible places to vote on Election Day between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. So just put that on your calendar. Coming up the weekend of the 24th, a number right now, early voting is at the city county building. during regular hours, but in another week or so, we're going to have some satellite locations coming up as well. So, yeah, just make a mental note. Make a mental note of it. We've got a lot more details coming up, but just get that on your calendar and get that in your vibration, so to speak. Either vote early or to vote on Election Day. I know in southern Indiana, I talked to some family down there this morning on my way into work, and they're going to vote today. There's no place as populated as Marion County, as we talk about. But for early voting, they have three early voting sites down there.
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Speaker 10: Three.
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Speaker 8: Three.
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Speaker 2: Before they expand the sites. So it's just, you know, we got to figure out a way. We got to find an end around, some kind of an end around here uh, for Marion County to have more than just one place, uh, to early vote, but it has been good. I've talked to people down at the city County building and the flow has been fine. It's been really, really good, been a good flow. Uh, so there we have that 3 1 7 4 8 0 13 10. Julia Vaughn is going to talk a lot more about, uh, elections, voting, uh, voter protection, uh, voter integrity, all kinds of things. Uh, so we'll, uh, We'll get to that when she joins us probably in about 1.30. She's going to join us at the bottom of the hour. 317-480-1310. We have a caller with a question. Go ahead, Malcolm.
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Speaker 6: Hello.
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Speaker 8: Hello.
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Speaker 9: How are you?
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Speaker 11: Yes.
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Speaker 9: Good.
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Speaker 4: Can you hear me well now?
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Speaker 2: Yes, I can hear you.
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Speaker 4: Okay. I have a question concerning the absentee ballots. I was sent two of them. One was for myself and one was for my son.
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Speaker 2: Did you request them?
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Speaker 4: Yeah, I did.
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Speaker 3: Okay.
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Speaker 4: Now, with that being said, they sent him an absentee ballot. Now, this will be him, a first-time voter. And he also has a disability. Now, what I was kind of not understanding is that, okay, I helped him feel he is out. and everything, and I was wondering, I don't know if he's registered. That's the thing. Is that a problem, though?
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Speaker 9: Yeah.
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Speaker 2: That's a huge problem. If he's not registered, he can't vote.
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Speaker 4: Well, on the absentee ballot, it said to give them his ID number, his.
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Speaker 6: What else was it?
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Speaker 4: Uh... his ID number, and date of birth, I believe.
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Speaker 2: Can you check online? Go to indianavoters.com and just check to see if he's even registered. Because if he's not registered, it's all a moot point. You don't need to go through all of it. If he is registered, then yes. But if he's not registered, then.
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Speaker 4: Well, let me ask you something before you go into that. If he's not registered... And I already filled out the absentee ballot. Can I still register?
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Speaker 8: No.
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Speaker 4: Would that affect?
00:09:26
Speaker 8: No.
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Speaker 2: Registration deadline has passed.
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Speaker 8: Oh, my goodness.
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Speaker 2: Yeah. We, I don't know, and everybody doesn't get a chance to listen every day, but I know for at least 30 days prior to the deadline, maybe a little sooner, we started talking about check your voter registration, check it, check it, check it, check it. And make sure now you still can check it. You know, we could be talking about something that's a non factor. He may be registered. I don't know. But if he's not registered, you know, unfortunately, that's why we remind people. to check your.
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Speaker 4: My thing is that if he's not registered, why would they send him a ballot?
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Speaker 2: Well, I mean, that.
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Speaker 2: The bottom line is I wouldn't even go there. Find out if he's registered. If he is registered, finish filling it out. If he's not registered, there's nothing more you can do. So what you have to find out is if he is or is not a registered voter. That's the only thing right now that's in question that I can see. Yeah. Do you have access to the website? Can you get on there pretty quickly? All you need is his date of birth, I do believe.
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Speaker 7: Mm-hmm.
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Speaker 4: I can share it.
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Speaker 2: Is he a teenager? How old is he?
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Speaker 4: He just turned 20.
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Speaker 2: Just turned 20. Has he ever voted before?
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Speaker 9: No.
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Speaker 4: This would be his first time because the last time when I tried to do this, see, he has a disability. Mm-hmm.
00:11:04
Speaker 2: I understand.
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Speaker 3: I understand.
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Speaker 4: And he doesn't understand how to do it. So I believe that's probably why I requested for him to get it after.
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Speaker 2: He got it last time.
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Speaker 4: Okay, that makes sense.
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Speaker 2: It makes perfect sense.
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Speaker 4: And I noticed at the bottom of the absentee ballot, it stated that if you help someone, you know, do the ballot itself, then, you know, I had to fill out my portion of it.
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Speaker 2: Exactly.
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Speaker 4: So I did that part, too.
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Speaker 2: Okay.
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Speaker 4: So I was just, you know, it just never dawned on me. I really didn't question him because I thought that probably he was already registered. Then I thought about it. I said, well, let me.
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Speaker 2: Did you ask him? Can you just ask him directly if he's registered?
00:11:48
Speaker 4: I don't think he is.
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Speaker 2: Because, again, he doesn't understand. Well, my question, you need to find out definitively, one way or the other. Either go online and check or ask him directly before you move forward. That's the key to the whole thing. The key to the whole thing is the voter registration. And am I missing something here? Am I missing something, Eric?
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Speaker 3: No, no, you're not.
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Speaker 2: You're on point. Yeah, he has to be registered.
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Speaker 3: He's got to be registered so he can vote. Otherwise, he can't.
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Speaker 8: He can't vote. Okay.
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Speaker 4: Well, then I'll just take the registry and see. And you said that's indiana.gov.
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Speaker 3: No.
00:12:27
Speaker 2: Well, you can go to indi.gov, but a more direct route could be indianavoters.com. indianavoters.com and put it. If you have access to speaking to him or text him or call him, it's a real simple question to ask him, are you registered to vote?
00:12:49
Speaker 4: Well, again, he's not because.
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Speaker 6: He stays with me.
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Speaker 3: So he's not registered?
00:12:55
Speaker 2: He's not registered?
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Speaker 4: No, I don't think so. I don't think he's ever been registered.
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Speaker 3: In order to vote, he'll have to be registered. Do you want to get that?
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Speaker 8: Okay.
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Speaker 3: You don't want to?
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Speaker 6: Okay.
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Speaker 3: Otherwise, he won't be able to vote.
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Speaker 5: Okay.
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Speaker 8: Got that part down.
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Speaker 4: All right. Now, I'll check it and see, first and foremost. Again, my point is that I believe that's why they sent it. The last time I had talked to one of the somebody, and they told me to help him with his.
00:13:37
Speaker 4: With his ballot.
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Speaker 2: Yes, you can do that. If he has a.
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Speaker 4: And see, I never took him to go get registered. Not in my mind. I have never took him down there or even did it online. So I doubt it, but when they sent me this ballot with his name on it.
00:14:02
Speaker 2: The fact that the ballot with his name on it came to you in U.S.
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Speaker 8: Mail.
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Speaker 2: is not a guarantee of the ability to vote. That's just U.S. mail. That is not a pass to go ahead and vote or not an assumption. You cannot assume because you got this in the mail for him and if you know for a fact that he has not registered to vote, you can't assume that because you got it in the mail that maybe he can go ahead and vote anyway if he's not registered. So the only way that you can utilize that is if he is registered to vote. The voter registration deadline for the state of Indiana was Monday, October the 5th at 1159. If he has not been registered or was not registered prior to that date and prior to that cutoff, regardless of how many pieces of mail pertaining to the election come, in his name, if he is not registered, he cannot exercise those pieces of mail.
00:15:07
Speaker 6: I got you.
00:15:08
Speaker 8: I got you.
00:15:09
Speaker 11: Okay.
00:15:10
Speaker 8: Understood.
00:15:12
Speaker 4: Okay. Well, thank you for the information.
00:15:15
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I would check anyway. You never know. Somebody else may have.
00:15:20
Speaker 4: That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to check anyway and see.
00:15:23
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:15:24
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, I don't know. Yeah, I hope. that by some whatever, I hope he is. I hope he is.
00:15:34
Speaker 4: I hope so, too. Because we need him. I don't know, you know, because, you know, I remember, and then again, see, you can register at 18, right?
00:15:48
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:15:49
Speaker 4: Okay, I may have did it when he was 18. I just don't remember right now. That's all I'm saying. I don't remember taking him down in life.
00:15:57
Speaker 2: I can't definitively tell you one way or another without you checking the rolls. You have to check the rolls. You have to check.
00:16:05
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:16:06
Speaker 9: OK.
00:16:06
Speaker 2: And I hope you did. I hope you did. We we need as many as we can. So let's let's let's hope. And it takes probably less than less than a minute to find out. Indiana Indiana voters dot com.
00:16:21
Speaker 8: Gotcha.
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Speaker 4: OK. Thank you so much for the information.
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Speaker 8: All right.
00:16:24
Speaker 2: Thank you.
00:16:25
Speaker 3: And hopefully if he didn't, maybe somebody else did.
00:16:27
Speaker 2: Maybe somebody else did, yeah, for him or what have you. But, you know, boy, what a shame that would be if he's not.
00:16:36
Speaker 3: It would be.
00:16:37
Speaker 12: Yeah.
00:16:38
Speaker 2: But just because material comes to you, that's not an automatic, that's not a given.
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Speaker 3: Especially when they're sending... Information unrequested.
00:16:47
Speaker 2: Unrequested. But he did request it.
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Speaker 3: He did request it, he said.
00:16:51
Speaker 2: He requested it, and so they sent it to him. But just because they sent it to him upon his request doesn't mean that his son is automatically registered to vote. That has nothing to do with it. It has nothing to do with it.
00:17:02
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:17:10
Speaker 2: Anyway. See why we tell you guys pay attention to the deadlines. I'm going to give you all the deadline again.
00:17:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, the deadline. It's already passed, too.
00:17:25
Speaker 2: Well, the deadline to vote.
00:17:26
Speaker 3: I'm telling you to vote. Well, that deadline to vote. Yeah, definitely.
00:17:29
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:17:30
Speaker 3: I want to be aware of that.
00:17:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, the voter registration. If you are not registered, and I guess I have to repeat it. I'm not the best. You know, don't shoot me. I'm just a messenger. If you're not registered to vote by now, you're not voting.
00:17:43
Speaker 3: Can't vote.
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Speaker 2: We don't want to sit here and say that.
00:17:46
Speaker 4: No. No.
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Speaker 3: Not at all.
00:17:48
Speaker 8: No.
00:17:50
Speaker 2: And I don't know.
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Speaker 8: I don't know.
00:17:55
Speaker 2: But let's hope Malcolm has a happy ending.
00:17:58
Speaker 3: I hope so.
00:17:58
Speaker 2: To that situation.
00:17:59
Speaker 3: Hopefully somebody got him registered.
00:18:01
Speaker 2: Hopefully somebody did his place.
00:18:03
Speaker 3: That would be nice.
00:18:03
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:18:04
Speaker 2: Uh, but I, I think I've told this story before, um, that I have a cousin whose father is here, moved here from out of state. She moved him here and she checks every year. Uh, and this year she checked, he, he's been here for about five, four years, five years. Well, she'll tell me, but, um, long enough to be a registered voter and long enough to vote in, um, in the elections. And she checks every year just to make sure because he did come here from out of state. And this year he was no, he wasn't anywhere to be found. So, and she checked well ahead of the deadline. She said, I'm just going to check. Somehow he had been purged from the rolls and she got him right back on and he's good to go. But when we say check your voter registration or register to vote, These are the reasons you can be purged. You may be quickly approaching the deadline. You may be helping someone to vote. So make sure your your business is in order. Your voting business is in order. Indiana has stricter timelines and much less forgiving deadlines, so to speak. They're short windows. Indiana has much shorter windows, if you will. And so that is why we do our best to.
00:19:22
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:19:23
Speaker 2: That's why we do our best to remind you. Anyway, go ahead. 317-480-1310. Jo, go ahead. Do you have a question?
00:19:33
Speaker 4: Yes, I do.
00:19:33
Speaker 7: How are you guys doing?
00:19:34
Speaker 2: Doing good.
00:19:35
Speaker 7: Thank you.
00:19:36
Speaker 4: Okay.
00:19:36
Speaker 7: I need to know if you have any information or who you get in touch with about people that may be having dog fights or dog readings.
00:19:50
Speaker 2: Say that again.
00:19:51
Speaker 7: Dog fights or dog breeding, and it's kind of like really, really getting to be disturbing because the dogs are barking, barking, barking, then they're not at night, you know, early morning, early morning, and then they're not.
00:20:04
Speaker 2: Have you called the police?
00:20:06
Speaker 7: I'm a little bit... I mean, nothing to call political. First of all, I live next door to them and stuff. And being senior and, you know, all that good stuff, it kind of, like, really, really reluctant me because I don't want them first to come to my house because I hear a lot of times they'll come to your house, and I don't need that. So is there any other way kind of, you know, you get in touch with them and they kind of keep it under wraps?
00:20:32
Speaker 2: You might try Crime Stoppers because it's all anonymous.
00:20:34
Speaker 10: But, I mean....
00:20:37
Speaker 2: Okay, so if the police or law enforcement comes to this particular residence, there's no way that anybody else in the vicinity could have reported. The only way that they would come would be to point the finger at you. Is that what you're saying?
00:20:51
Speaker 7: It could be because it's getting like this in the area I live in. They're either younger people, possibly Hispanic people that's causing the problem. And a lot of people that are older, like I am and stuff, are just kind of reluctant. And then it's kind of like a business, a business, a business around me. And, you know, they're not caring. So that's what got me a little shaky about it. But I have to get some rest sometime, and it's just going to get to be crazy. It's been happening now about a month, and it's really getting to be kind of crazy. Because I need rest. We do need all need rest. And then it's not that. It's loud music and stuff. So, you know... What did I do?
00:21:36
Speaker 2: Do you have a neighborhood association of any kind?
00:21:41
Speaker 7: Yeah, they suggest, why don't you just get cameras and more light? I've got plenty of light. I don't have the cameras, but, you know, I'm not trying to shoot it down before they get it out their mouth, but it's just. But let me ask you guys this, since I got you. When people are coming, I'm going to go from one to the other. Sorry about that, but I got you on line. I'll let you go as soon as I do let you go. But thank heaven for answering. I was saying yesterday, I wish I have open line. You guys got my wish.
00:22:08
Speaker 9: Okay.
00:22:09
Speaker 7: So I'm asking this. I asked you about the dogs. Now, can you either one of you guys in there tell me when people are having their music so, so loud. And that's disturbing at peace. To me, is there supposed to be an hour or two that they have to stop doing that?
00:22:28
Speaker 2: I'm sure there's a noise ordinance.
00:22:29
Speaker 3: I'm sure there is, too. I can't think of actually what it is right now.
00:22:33
Speaker 2: But the enforcement of it, again, has to circle back to law enforcement, to the police.
00:22:40
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:22:40
Speaker 7: So what do you guys got on your mind other than the police that I should call?
00:22:44
Speaker 2: You don't have anything at the time.
00:22:49
Speaker 7: You know, I laugh all the time, but I'm not laughing anymore.
00:22:51
Speaker 8: No, no, no.
00:22:52
Speaker 2: I'm not laughing. You know, police, neighborhood association. This is a really stupid question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Have you tried to talk to them?
00:23:02
Speaker 7: They're Hispanic, and they're men, and I just can't approach them like that. I told you, they got these dogs, too, and who knows, you know. And it's crazy because it's just crazy. And they're not there all the time. That's why I begin to notice something strange and odd is going on. Some people tell me, not people out there in the street, in the family, oh, well, you're just nervous and kind of whatever. Yeah, I'm shaky because, first of all, about the dogs, you and I both know dogs can jump a fence. They can get a loose, and they may not have them secured that much anyway. And see, if I go talk about police and stuff, somebody, they may get the hint that I'm the one, and then definitely they're going to retaliate toward me. I'm telling you now, I'm praying and trying my best to withstand it. But if it goes on much longer, I'm going to have to probably definitely try, like you said, to get somebody in my neighborhood association group to get on. Because I already called. Don't think I didn't. And they were kind of like, well, can you do this or can you do that? But we don't have our police coming to us like we used to. So it's kind of difficult, you know, to get that without going through the regular lines.
00:24:12
Speaker 3: Have other neighbors reported the same thing?
00:24:16
Speaker 7: No, but I just told you.
00:24:17
Speaker 9: You asked me.
00:24:18
Speaker 7: See, it's me because the person that's in back of me, I'll put it like that. We're in the Keystone area. And first of all, I don't have a, even without meaning certain things that people are worried about, I notice is people breaking in cars and people, there's something going on where they say there's a bunch of younger teenagers like coming through and they are fighting with each other and cussing and going on. No shooting, thank heaven, that we know. But there are times there is shooting. So I'm the one across the street that's the young guy and whoever. The other people, they just move. And the one beside me is the Hispanic people. And I got a store. And then at the corner, I got.
00:25:01
Speaker 4: Other little businesses.
00:25:02
Speaker 7: See what I'm talking about?
00:25:04
Speaker 3: Okay, yes.
00:25:05
Speaker 7: They're not available to do it or they don't bother them because, you know, they're just minding their business, they figure, you know.
00:25:14
Speaker 2: No, I mean, what district, what police district are you in?
00:25:20
Speaker 7: What's the one from Washington?
00:25:22
Speaker 12: Sorry about that issue.
00:25:23
Speaker 3: Washington Park.
00:25:24
Speaker 2: Washington. So that would be East District, I believe.
00:25:28
Speaker 7: East, East, East.
00:25:30
Speaker 2: East District?
00:25:31
Speaker 3: Okay.
00:25:31
Speaker 1: I believe so.
00:25:32
Speaker 2: Let's see if we can find the East District commander and maybe talk to the East District commander. Have them, you know, have a one-on-one with you as opposed to a report. Talk to them and let them know what your concerns and things of that nature are, and maybe they can come up with some kind of a resolution that doesn't point directly at you.
00:25:52
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:25:52
Speaker 10: Right, right.
00:25:53
Speaker 7: And that's what I'm going to mention definitely when I'm at my association group in the next week or so.
00:25:58
Speaker 3: That's a good idea.
00:26:01
Speaker 7: Let me see if I can. Thank you.
00:26:04
Speaker 2: Okay. I was just looking for their number for you.
00:26:06
Speaker 7: That's fine.
00:26:09
Speaker 2: East District phone number.
00:26:10
Speaker 3: Indianapolis does have a noise ordinance that I see. It's quiet hours or 10 p.m. until 7 a.m.
00:26:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, the number, are you ready?
00:26:20
Speaker 9: Yes.
00:26:20
Speaker 3: 317-327-6200.
00:26:20
Speaker 2: And ask to speak with a community liaison or a neighborhood liaison. I think they have people in roles like that where it's not necessarily a, A criminal thing, but something that, you know, you as a resident of that district are concerned about and want to get addressed in the safest possible way.
00:26:51
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:26:51
Speaker 7: Let me make sure you did say 317-327-6200.
00:26:54
Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
00:26:54
Speaker 9: Mm-hmm.
00:26:58
Speaker 7: Okay. And we did say something. Well, he's a North, I can ask them about the North. You said it's from 6th of what, the North?
00:27:05
Speaker 8: The.
00:27:06
Speaker 3: The ordinances from quiet hours are from 10 p.m. until 7 in the morning.
00:27:12
Speaker 4: Oh, really?
00:27:14
Speaker 3: From 10 p.m. until 7. 10 at night.
00:27:17
Speaker 7: 10 at night until.
00:27:19
Speaker 3: Right, 10 p.m. until 7 in the morning for Indianapolis.
00:27:23
Speaker 8: Okay.
00:27:23
Speaker 7: Like I said, I won't hold you for ever. But that's interesting. I'm glad I got it from you guys because these people are doing something. That's when you want to either have the dog fights or it's.
00:27:33
Speaker 9: A reason being gone.
00:27:35
Speaker 11: But you know what?
00:27:35
Speaker 7: I noticed something you said that really makes sense. I noticed when it happened last weekend that, sure enough, I had waked up about 4 because the dogs were barking, dog and barking. And I noticed by the time it was 5 o'clock, it was quiet enough to hear birds chirping.
00:27:54
Speaker 2: Yeah. And I just I got a text, too, says Tina from James.
00:27:59
Speaker 5: Oh, OK.
00:27:59
Speaker 3: All right.
00:28:00
Speaker 2: Have her call the IMPD non-emergency number and report the dogfighting ordeal. She can report to non-emergency anonymously. Yeah. And thank you, James. But I think her her situation is that anonymously reporting just a police call, a non-emergency call is going to point right at her. So she needs to talk.
00:28:19
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:28:19
Speaker 2: You need to talk to the police. somebody from that district, you need to have like a one, you know, so you all can work something out so that you're not faced with possible retribution because a simple call, I've done those non-emergency calls about things and they do, they drive straight up to your house.
00:28:34
Speaker 3: Right up to your house.
00:28:35
Speaker 2: And it, I know they have to, but you know, it's just a telltale sign that it was you.
00:28:41
Speaker 4: And that's dangerous.
00:28:41
Speaker 10: It's dangerous.
00:28:42
Speaker 11: Yeah.
00:28:43
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:28:43
Speaker 8: It's dangerous.
00:28:44
Speaker 2: Thank you so much.
00:28:45
Speaker 9: All right.
00:28:45
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:28:45
Speaker 2: Call the district and, and, you know, tell them you want to speak with someone about, um, you know, solving something that doesn't point to you.
00:28:53
Speaker 7: Well, at least you said what you needed to say, because that way when I talk to my president, I'll be able to say what I need to say to her, because they're supposed to be coming to us anyway, but they haven't lately, okay?
00:29:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, and if you pay Neighborhood Association dues, you should be getting your money's worth.
00:29:11
Speaker 7: We are longstanding members. Something's got to, you know, we don't want to get out of hand.
00:29:16
Speaker 4: Thank you.
00:29:16
Speaker 2: Okay, there you go. Thank you. Thank you, indeed. Thank you, James. Appreciate it. James is listening to us today. That's very nice. Anyway, let's go ahead and take a quick break and we'll be right back. After this, we're going to go to Julia Vaughn with Common Cause Indiana right after this.
00:29:40
Speaker 1: Let's get back to the conversation. It's Community Connection with Tina Cosby from the Praise Indy Indigo Studios on Praise AM 1310, 95.1 FM.
00:29:53
Speaker 2: And we're back. Joining us, our Executive Director of Common Cause Indiana and our Voter Education Contributor, Julia Vaughn. Back with us. Julia, how are you doing today?
00:30:03
Speaker 9: Well, I'm doing well. I really enjoyed that three-day weekend, so back fresh, ready to get at it.
00:30:09
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, good, good. I'm glad. You know, three-day weekends are really refreshing. Sometimes that's all it takes, three-day weekend.
00:30:17
Speaker 9: You need one now and then. Yeah, well, I will admit I did actually work a little bit in the afternoon. You know, it is such a busy election season that I did take the morning off that I needed it.
00:30:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, I got a disturbing call right before, I don't know if you were able to hear it, right before you came on. A listener whose son has disabilities, 20 years old, he requested an absentee ballot for him and his son, but doesn't think his son is registered to vote. He said, but they wouldn't have sent me a ballot if he wasn't registered, right? And I'm like, no, no, that's not the case. So he has to check his voter registration, but it's just a, you know, a reminder of how important it is to pay attention to the deadlines because when you get ready to vote or want to help someone else to vote, if everything's not in order, and Indiana has such short windows anyway, if everything's not in order, you know, there goes a vote. You know, there goes your ability and that other person's ability. So I'm hoping he has a good outcome.
00:31:19
Speaker 9: Oh, me too. That's why I know people, I sound like a broken record, check your registration at indianavoters.in.gov.
00:31:28
Speaker 7: But again.
00:31:29
Speaker 9: I've seen too many people fall through the cracks. Weird stuff happens, you know. So it's always better to be safe than sorry. So, yeah, I hope everything turns out OK. And and he gets to vote.
00:31:44
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:31:45
Speaker 2: I had another very quickly a letter from an email from a listener that said she got an unsolicited request for an absentee ballot. Well, a lot of unsolicited requests for absentee ballots are hitting the mailboxes lately. She apparently requested one, took it to the address on their 302 East Washington Street. The sign she got is no longer there. They've moved. The forwarding address was not valid where they gave her or they left the forwarding address. What should she do?
00:32:17
Speaker 9: Well, I would call the Marion County Election Board. This is in Marion County, I'm assuming.
00:32:25
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, yes.
00:32:26
Speaker 6: Yes.
00:32:27
Speaker 9: Yeah, I mean, you still have plenty of time to get that back. The good news is so, but it's disappointing that wrong information was given by somebody. And I think that's, you know, the state has been trying to really crack down on third parties who solicit applications, absentee applications from voters for this very reason. You know, I'm usually not in favor of the state trying to make things more restrictive. But in this case, if somebody is passing out bad information that could potentially disenfranchise somebody, then, you know, that's not good. So you still have time to contact the Marion County Election Board, ask them where you should return that absentee ballot. And the other thing to remember is here in Marion County, We are fortunate in that the county allows us to return absentee by mail ballots to the polling place on Election Day. Not all counties will do that. Some require you to go to the county courthouse. So any voter who gets in a crunch with their absentee ballot and you are getting close to, you know, the ballot has to be received by the county by 6 o'clock on November 3rd, Election Day. So if it's getting to be like less than a week before that date, I would seriously consider not putting it back in the mail where you can't be assured it will arrive on time, but instead make an arrangement to deliver it to the vote center.
00:34:06
Speaker 2: Yeah, she said in her email that she always hand delivers it. She always takes it to that address, which has apparently moved. So I will shoot her an email and give her the number of the Marion County Election Board, which, by the way, if anyone's listening, 317 and needs it, 317-327-5100. Marion County Election Board, 317-327-5100. So what did you want to get to today, Julia? What do you want to remind us of?
00:34:38
Speaker 9: Well, you know, lots of stuff going on, that's for sure. Let's start with something encouraging. I was at an event a week ago on the first day of early voting with the Marion County Clerk, and she said that early voting was up by about double, twice as many people showed up on the first day this year than had during our last off-year election. So that's great. You know, everybody is anticipating good turnout this year. And so far, it looks like that's what we're going to see. So that's in a state like Indiana, which has had voter turnout very low for far too long. Those are encouraging signs. You know, what we're hearing from a lot of people who are now, you know, getting their absentee ballots and starting to think about their choices is We've got a couple of public questions on the ballot this year, and the one that I think is really causing confusion is public question one. That's the one about bail. It would give judges the ability to deny bail for crimes far beyond what they are allowed now. The only two crimes that are eligible for denying a person bail or murder and treason. And so this would give judges discretion to deny bail for any crime. And we're concerned about that because we think it could be disproportionately applied, right? That communities of color would be far more impacted by this. And, you know, when somebody is locked up pre-trial, That means they can't go to work. That means that they risk losing their home. That means their family is put at risk. So we need to think very carefully before we give judges such wide discretion to deny bail for any offense. And so and then the question itself, as is often the case with these public questions, it's written in such a way that it's not obvious, right? And so a lot of people are kind of taken aback because number one, they weren't expecting this public question. As we talked about last week, we don't have a voter guide here in Indiana that's mailed to every registered voter in the state. So You can find sample ballots available, but not everybody has the time, opportunity, and know-how to seek that information out. So it's something that people need to carefully consider. And again, because we are concerned that communities of color would be disproportionately impacted by this change, we encourage everybody to take the time, look this up, and think about it. And there are also organizations that are actively educating voters, and we're working with several of those to offer a webinar Thursday evening. We will be on Zoom at 730. We would like to invite listeners to attend if you're interested. We'll have presentations from a group called Indiana Voices, Indiana Vote. also from the Validus Movement, which is made up of a lot of justice-impacted individuals, and then Countess Indiana will also present. So we want to make sure that people are well-educated about this issue before they're asked to decide, should we change the Indiana Constitution in such a significant way? So again, that is Thursday at 7.30 p.m. you can go to the Common Cause Indiana Facebook page and register. We do require people to register for our Zooms. But once you do that, you'll be sent a link and you'll be ready to join us Thursday night.
00:38:50
Speaker 2: Julia, back to the question one. The judge's decisions would be based on recommendations from the prosecutors, correct?
00:39:00
Speaker 9: I believe that's right. You know, judges already have a wide amount of latitude in terms of, you know, how they can protect the public in terms of, you know, restricting people's ability to be out in the community. So to change the Constitution really is a big, big change. And since judges already have a lot of discretion already, and as you say, prosecutors would be having a say in this as well. we're not sure this needs to be changed. And, you know, we have to look at who is operating prisons in our state. They're for-profit corporations. And these for-profit corporations make a lot of large campaign contributions to our elected officials. So I see this as something that is not necessitated by public safety or the public interest, but more a special interest that needs to keep prisons full. And this is one way to ensure that that happens. So when you follow the money of campaign contributions, where they come from, what are the interests, it does make one suspicious about why who are, who's motivation, who's the motivation behind this very fundamental change.
00:40:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, indeed. Um, and so the other question I had that a lot of people are talking about unsolicited request for absentee ballots being mailed to them. Um, And I think you were, was it you or someone was saying that you have to check the number to make sure that it's valid? What's the deal with that? And if I'm forgetting, just remind me, but what is the deal? Why are so many of those going out?
00:40:51
Speaker 9: Well, because people, you know, usually it's candidates or political parties or other interests that, you know, want to see people vote one way or the other. So That's who's usually soliciting these requests. And, you know, keep in mind that you don't have to respond to them if you don't want to. You can initiate an absentee ballot yourself. You can easily go online at indianavoters.in.gov and do it yourself. But It's being done by, you know, either candidates, political parties or other interested interests that want to see you voting. And typically they want to see you voting a certain way, you know, meaning Republican, Democrat or otherwise.
00:41:44
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:41:45
Speaker 10: Yeah.
00:41:45
Speaker 2: Just pay attention. I thought it was odd, too, because I thought you always had to request votes. you know, put in the request for whatever. And with them coming unsolicited, I think it's throwing a lot of people off.
00:42:00
Speaker 9: Well, yeah, and it has kind of a whiff of big brother. You know, what I was going to say, too, that sometimes these things are followed up. If you, you know, they see that you haven't requested an absentee ballot, then they'll follow up with, well, what's wrong with you? Aren't you planning to vote? Don't you know that we can see if you voted or not? And, you know, the voting rolls are public. And so, yes, people can do a public records request and see, you know, did you vote in the Republican or Democrat primary? Do you show up every year? What they can't show, though, is who you voted for. And so I'll always remember that. I really, really dislike these texts and emails that go out really close to Election Day that are somewhat threatening. And in fact, I was up in South Bend last week and somebody showed me one from two years ago that Governor Braun had texted out to people saying something like, you know, we'll know if you didn't support President Trump. You know, that's sort of threatening and intimating to people that we somehow know who.
00:43:17
Speaker 6: You voted for.
00:43:18
Speaker 9: Yeah, people can tell if you took a Republican or a Democrat ballot in a primary election, but we still have secret ballots or secret voting in this case. No thanks to the Indiana Recount Commission, some of who wanted to publicly identify voters by who they had voted for. in their absentee voting. But, you know, it is, I think, very disturbing to voters when they get any communication from a candidate or a political party sort of threatening and saying, you know, if you don't tow the party line, everyone will know about it. That is absolutely not the case. We've still got secret ballots in Indiana.
00:44:04
Speaker 2: The candidates that are sending material that is nondescript in terms of whether they're independent, libertarian, Democrat or Republican or anything else in between, what's your guidance to voters in terms of how to process that and what to do if they happen to get materials like that?
00:44:27
Speaker 9: Yeah, I encourage you to do your research. You know, just a quick Google search will help you identify most candidates. But You know, some people have made a political decision that they don't want to make it obvious which party they are part of. And, you know, that's a political decision that they have a right to make. You as a voter might think, well, I think they're lacking transparency. So that's something you might want to take into consideration. But I just encourage you to do a little bit of research. And again, If you simply want to know a candidate's political affiliation and a sample ballot, again, you can go to the Marion County website, which is a good source for sample ballots and things like that, and they will be identified on the ballot with a party designation.
00:45:24
Speaker 2: So in terms of early voting, which in Indianapolis and Marion County is right now– At the city county building only. Then other satellite sites are coming on board starting on the 24th. And then, of course, on November 3rd, more than 100 vote centers throughout the county. Once again, can you remind voters of what their rights are? And if anything happens out of the ordinary or that makes them uncomfortable, what is their course of action that they can take?
00:45:57
Speaker 9: Yeah, in terms of, you know, basic voting rights, again, I would encourage you to go to 866ourvote. org. It has extensive information about our voting rights and the rules and regulations here in Indiana. But remember, you've got to take your state or government, federal government issued ID with you. It has to have a photograph of you. It can be expired, but it can't be expired before the last federal election, which was November 4th, 2024. But it doesn't have to be up to date exactly. Your voter registration address doesn't have to match the address on your ID. That's often misunderstood as well. So Take your ID, but remember that the address doesn't have to match. Your name can be a little different. For example, if you registered as Bob Jones, but you go by Robert, you know, everyone understands that that name conforms. Another thing to remember is, you know, if the polls close at 6 p.m. and you're still in line, everybody in line at 6 o'clock gets to vote. You know, no matter if the line stretches around the block. So those are just a basic voting rights. But to get everything you need to know, go to 866-OUR-VOTE-CALL. You can call now during early voting as well as on Election Day. And also wanted to mention, you mentioned the first day of satellite early voting on October 24th. Common Cause Indiana and a bunch of organizations here in the city are working together to do marches to the polls. We will be marching to the polls at eight of the nine satellite locations on Saturday, October 24th. We will start at 1130, and these will be very short marches, about a block or so, We are heading up the Warren Township March to the Polls, so ours will just be about a block. We're going to be meeting a little bit before 1130 at the Warren Township School Administration Building right there just north of the Warren Township Government Center, which is the early voting location. So this is a great opportunity. You know, we've talked before about A lot of people are very anxious about voting this year. They worry about intimidation or people trying to make threats and things as they attempt to cast their ballot. And so we think that marches to the polls are just great opportunities for people to do this voting thing together, right? Let's all join in community together. And be joyful about voting. Be excited that we get the opportunity to have our say as Americans. And, you know, join together. and make it an exciting and happy occasion. Hopefully we'll get some gorgeous weather like we're having today. And we'll all march down the street. And this will serve to remind our neighbors today. that, hey, early voting's available now. It's not just at the city-county building. It's out here in all nine townships. So come on, people, let's come out and vote. So I would love to have folks join us again at the Warren Township Government Center, 1130 on that first Saturday, October 24th.
00:49:57
Speaker 2: We'll certainly remind folks as well, leading up to that. We have one caller that has a quick question. Go ahead, Mr. Russell.
00:50:05
Speaker 6: Yeah, Tina, you're asking good questions. You're taking two of mine away, so you're doing a good job. But one thing I want to, you know, it's so disappointing when you hear folks that didn't, that missed the deadline or whatever, you know. And, you know, voting is no charge except you do have to pay, you have to pay attention is as serious as watching your favorite team play a game. You have to pay that much attention because the opposition, they are serious. They are on the case. They are doing everything they can to keep you from doing the job that you need to do. So I just wanted to mention that. And then also, if you could go over again, if there are young people, I think you said last time that they had to be 16 years of age. they could still.
00:51:01
Speaker 2: Apply to be.
00:51:04
Speaker 6: Voted on to participate in the polls, and they get paid.
00:51:08
Speaker 2: Oh, participate in the polls. Okay, I see what you're saying, 16.
00:51:11
Speaker 6: Yeah, they get paid for that. So, you know, young people, I know they're interested because I've talked to some of them from time to time, and they want to participate. So I just wondered if you could go over what the procedure is if they're interested in working on the polls on Election Day.
00:51:28
Speaker 8: Okay.
00:51:29
Speaker 2: Thank you.
00:51:29
Speaker 8: Oh, yes.
00:51:30
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:51:31
Speaker 9: Thank you, Mr. Russell. Again, I was with the Marion County clerk last week, and I know they are still looking for poll workers. So thank you for the reminder. Yeah, you definitely, you can go to the Marion County election boards website and sign up there for college students. There are a few, or I'm sorry for high school students. There are a few more hoops. They've got to jump through. They're going to need permission from their school. So they'll need to get that checked through with the administration. They also need the permission of their parents. And then they need to have a certain grade point average. I believe it's a 3.0. But it is a great opportunity for young folks to earn some money and learn firsthand about the election process. And it's really, really necessary because the average age of a poll worker is up there. Most of them are senior citizens and they are aging out of this work. And so we need a new generation of them coming on. And so people starting in high school, it is just a great way to really engage them from before they can even participate as voters. And, you know, I think the odds of somebody who has worked as a poll worker, then when they turn 18, participating as a voter, it just increases that likelihood so much. So, yes, thank you so much for the reminder. And, you know, you need to sign up to work the polls pretty soon. They are starting training and all of that stuff. So important if that's something you want to do, let the county know and they can put you to work, no doubt. There's also opportunities not just to work at the polls, but also to count absentee ballots, you know, go down to the election services center, which is not in the city county building, but nearby. And they need tons of people, hundreds of people, because they have to have bipartisan boards. to go through and count absentee ballots. So there are opportunities, not just on election day and during early voting. There's also opportunities after to help count absentee ballots. So lots of ways for citizens to chip in. And, you know, Marion County needs more help than other counties simply because we are the largest county in the state.
00:54:07
Speaker 11: So, yeah.
00:54:09
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:54:10
Speaker 2: Well, and the minimum age is, as Mr. Russell indicated, I thought he was talking about to vote, but he's talking about to help and get paid, which is to be employed 16. Is that correct?
00:54:22
Speaker 8: That is correct. Mr.
00:54:23
Speaker 2: Russell, I stand corrected. Thank you. 16 indeed. Yeah, Julia, thank you. And again, 866-OUR-VOTE is the number. Is that correct?
00:54:36
Speaker 9: That's right. That's in numbers 866-687-8683. Again, you can call, ask questions about voting here in Indiana, whether early voting or on election day. And definitely, if you have any problems, if you show up and they tell you you're not on the voter rolls or any kinds of problems, please let the folks at the Election Protection Hotline know because not only can you get help in real time, but this is also a really valuable tool for us to be able to assess how voting is going across the state. Are there problems that are popping up in one county that are atypical? We can use this information after the fact to go to policymakers and say, look, we got a real problem here and you need to fix it in this way. So You know, this is a process that not only provides a great service to voters, but also can help us improve the process here in Indiana for voters generally.
00:55:48
Speaker 2: Indeed.
00:55:48
Speaker 4: All right, Julia.
00:55:49
Speaker 2: Thank you so much, as always. And we'll talk to you again next week.
00:55:53
Speaker 9: I'll be here.
00:55:54
Speaker 2: Okay. And we'll be back with more Community Connection after this.
00:56:09
Speaker 1: WTLC AM, W236 CR, Indianapolis. Broadcasting from the Praise Indy Indigo Studios. Discussing the issues that matter to you. It's Community Connection with Tina Cosby on Praise AM 1310, 95.1 FM. And we're back.
00:56:27
Speaker 2: Quick announcement, Eric.
00:56:28
Speaker 3: Yes, New Horizons Church presenting the Wealth and Wisdom Forum that's happening tonight. A community conversation on ownership, generational wealth, and legacies. Join AM 1310 and 95.1 FM tonight at 7, New Horizons Church for their live broadcast and engaging panel. It's going to be nice tonight.
00:56:47
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00:56:48
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00:56:49
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00:56:54
Speaker 2: As I said yesterday, you can't have enough wisdom and wealth.
00:56:56
Speaker 6: I need it.
00:56:56
Speaker 2: Wealth and wisdom.
00:56:57
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00:57:00
Speaker 7: Indeed.
00:57:01
Speaker 2: Well, joining us now is IMPD Chief Tanya Terry. It has been a couple of months since we've had a chance to visit with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. So, Chief Terry, we truly do appreciate you being here with us today. How are you doing?
00:57:15
Speaker 12: I'm good. It's a pleasure to join you this afternoon.
00:57:18
Speaker 2: Well, it's good to have you. Since we were, you know, the last couple of months, very quickly... A couple of things have a couple of issues have come up, including the flock cameras. I understand there were five police, five IMP officers formally charged last month. by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office for allegedly misusing the city's flock safety automated license plate readers. They've been recommended for termination, I understand. Can you give us an update on what the status is with those officers and what the department is planning to do as far as the continued use of those cameras? And I will say, Before you answer, IMPD was one of several, probably dozens, maybe hundreds, I don't know, of law enforcement departments around the country that discovered how these systems were being misused and abused by those in charge of them. So we were one of a number of them that were included in a national article and what have you. Five officers have since been charged. recommended for termination, what's the status of the officers and what is the status of the department's use or continued use of the cameras?
00:58:37
Speaker 12: Yes, certainly I recognize that, you know, any time our officers fall short of our expectations and our community's expectations, that is a real hit to our level of trust within the community, right?
00:58:53
Speaker 6: Mm-hmm.
00:58:54
Speaker 12: And that's very, very important to me as the chief of police and very important to the rest of the members of our agency that continue to show up day in and day out and do the right thing in the name of public service. So it's important to us that we address that kind of conduct very quickly and swiftly, which is exactly what we did in the case of these five officers. So the status of those cases is two of the officers that have been charged have resigned from the agency, and the other three, like you mentioned, have been recommended for termination, and that's through the merit process that we have in place. So those recommendations go to our merit board, and the merit board has the ultimate decision-making process. But that typically doesn't happen until after the conclusion of any criminal case that's still pending and working its way through the criminal justice system. And then as far as the agency's approach to the continued use of the ALPR technology, I would like to just say that before we became aware of the suspected misuse by some of our officers, we were already in the process of updating and strengthening our policy as it relates to ALPR technology and our use of it. So back in the spring, we began the process of refining, evaluating, and strengthening our policies as they relate to ALPRs. And then before we were able to implement the new policy, we discovered the misuse and began taking a deeper look at the agency-wide use, which was ultimately what culminated in the charges on five of the officers. So what we've done as far as the steps taken, I I truly do believe that this is a technology and a tool that does improve public safety in our community. And we're talking about misuse by five members of the agency. And we have hundreds of officers that have been using this technology and use the technology, over 600 officers. So I'm not in any way, shape or form minimizing misuse. the conduct of those few officers. But I do want to emphasize that there are hundreds of officers that are using the technology to ensure public safety in our community and to hold offenders accountable in our community. Just this past weekend, we had the tragic hit and run accident in which two young children were hit by a vehicle and the driver fled the scene. And that technology is was used to help quickly locate and apprehend the driver of that vehicle that fled that tragic accident in which a nine-year-old lost their life. And there are other multiple examples of the use of that technology for positive impact to the community, for community safety. And so for that reason, we intend to continue to use the technology, but also recognize the need for that technology strict oversight and strict guardrails.
01:02:26
Speaker 2: Yeah. Another thing over the last couple of months, public criticism of the council's soon-to-be-approved budget, $ 400 million going to IMPD. The majority of the budget every year typically goes toward public safety. But there have been a lot of community concerns about transparency and the budget and things of that nature. Your response to that since that has come up as well. What is your response to that?
01:02:57
Speaker 12: Well, absolutely. And I recognize that public safety is the largest chunk of the community's budget. But I also think that public safety is also a priority for the mayor and a priority for members of our community. We hear that over and over again that People want to feel safe and secure in their community. They want to have a safe community to live, work, and visit in. And that's what our agency has been aiming to provide. We're one part of that. We're a big part of that public safety in our community. But I'll just speak to that. Over the last five years, we've seen crime numbers continue to drop significantly. and I'll just give you some of the statistics that we have as of October 1st, our criminal homicides are down 27% over last year. And we're down over 50% over the last five years on criminal homicides. Our non-fatal shooting victims were down 46% over this time last year. Our violent crime overall with robberies, being down over 31% from last year, carjackings down 47% from last year. And it doesn't stop with violent crime. We've also reduced property crime by double digits. We're down 10% from this time last year with burglaries being down 19% and motor vehicle thefts down 9%. So, I mean, those are some incredible numbers. And especially when we talk about criminal homicide numbers being down to that extent, that represents lives. That represents people that are still here with us today that otherwise wouldn't have been. And I think that those are meaningful impacts, and it does. We're short over 350 officers, and the You know, with the labor agreements and the cost of living, everything is, all the costs are increasing, and the vast majority of our budget goes to our personnel costs.
01:05:14
Speaker 2: What about funding priorities in terms of diversity, more female, more minority recruitment for the department? What about that? There was some concern about that with the budget.
01:05:30
Speaker 12: Yeah, absolutely. Our goal is always to have an agency that is reflective of the community that we serve. And we know that as far as you mentioned females, we know our population is just over 50% female, yet our agency hovers around 14% representation of females on our agency. We actively try to recruit females and all minorities. our agency, because we certainly recognize the need and the need for that connection within our community, right? People want to see people that are like them respond when they call 911, right? We also know that females, when they work in law enforcement, have lower incidence of use of force. They tend to rely on de-escalation more. We also get fewer complaints So we know that women have a place in this profession, and we're actively trying to recruit them. We have an annual event where it just focuses on trying to speak to women in our community and share with them an inside look of women in policing. And they get to speak directly with other women on our agency and learn about their experiences in law enforcement and specifically with our department. We're also a part of that initiative that's been, you may have heard about it, the 30 by 30 initiative where we strive to have recruit classes that are 30% female by the year 2030. And I am happy to report that our last recruit class that I swore in, in August, our recruit class was female. represented by about 30% women in that class for the first time in a long time. And we had the largest recruit class that we've seen in the last four years in August.
01:07:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's fantastic. And it does go toward the, you know, often scrutinized internal diversity gap that occurs in departments like IMPD. So that's definitely good news. Well, we have a caller that has a question. But before that, I have a question. regarding transparency. And is there a difference between when the community demands transparency and when the department says we're being transparent? Are those two differing terms or are they pretty much the same? Does the community view it one way and the department view it another? And, you know, I just because we hear this a lot, you know, if we had more diversity or more this or whatever, we'd have more transparency, or if we had this or we had that. How do you see it? How do you define that, reconcile those two views?
01:08:23
Speaker 12: Well, I think that certainly it's a subjective term, as you mentioned. Any one individual can have their own interpretation or idea of what transparency means to them. And I think it's important for us as an agency to have those conversations with community because I think transparency is achieved through constant communication. And that communication can't only happen within our agency. That communication has to happen with our community, which is partly some of the reason that I go out into community meetings and I engage in programs like yours so that we can have those conversations. And I think that communication is what fosters transparency and it has to be a two-way street. So I think it certainly is subjective, but to me, transparency is It means that we share as much with the public and the community as we can about what's happening with IMPD. We also have a dedicated transparency website. I'm not sure if you were aware of that, but you can actually search IMPD transparency website.
01:09:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd like to share that with our listeners. Absolutely.
01:09:43
Speaker 7: Yes.
01:09:44
Speaker 12: That transparency website has use of force data. It has traffic statistics. It has information about our officer-involved shootings. It has information about our agency policies and training. It has crime statistic information on it, and it has a collection of critical incident videos that we've all posted in one place for our community because I think it's important for the community to stay informed about what is happening within IMPD.
01:10:12
Speaker 2: Well, speaking of what is happening, we've got several, a few more upcoming events, but I want to get to this quick caller, and then we'll get to the events because I know we have to get you out of here on time. So, Jeff, go ahead. Do you have a question for the chief?
01:10:26
Speaker 8: I do.
01:10:27
Speaker 11: First of all, congratulations, chief, on your recent promotion.
01:10:32
Speaker 10: Thank you. My question is, how confident are you in your vetting process? Because, obviously, these guys who are– Abusing the flock technology is problematic in itself.
01:10:46
Speaker 5: I mean, stalking your ex, wife, girlfriend, and their new boyfriends, I mean, you almost have to wonder what else are these guys capable of? I mean, in the past, we had allegations of child abuse, domestic violence. So how confident are you, as well as questionable, maybe even racially motivated shootings? So how confident are you in your betting service with some of these cops? Because it's almost like you're giving Ted Bundy a badge and a gun in some cases.
01:11:14
Speaker 12: Well, I would say that I'm confident in our vetting process. We have what I would consider one of the most thorough background processes of agencies throughout the state. We use medical doctors. We use psychologists. We use polygraphs. And it's a pretty strict process to get hired through the agency, where you have to pass a medical certificate psychological vetting to get hired. Now, a lot of the, if you're talking about the recent arrests, these officers have been on the agency for some time. And I'll just remind the public that police officers are human beings as well. And all humans, in my opinion, are imperfect. And our main priority is to hold people accountable when that is possible. appropriate, and that's exactly what we've done. So we don't tolerate misconduct and violations of law within the agency, and we do take appropriate action when that kind of conduct is discovered.
01:12:24
Speaker 2: Chief, speaking of which, domestic violence, domestic violence awareness, what's the department's stand on that this month in terms of what is the department going to do?
01:12:36
Speaker 7: Yeah, absolutely.
01:12:37
Speaker 12: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and I actually was at a church service this Sunday, and it was lovely to see the whole congregation wearing purple, which is the color of the month for Domestic Violence Awareness. And we certainly support Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We typically have initiatives during this month where we are... focusing on bringing domestic violence offenders into custody if they're outstanding or have outstanding warrants, and also just raising awareness of the resources that are available to those who may be experiencing domestic violence in their relationships. We have a multitude of resources for those. Anybody that wants to reach out to us, We have a victim support services unit that can help them make safety plans, can help them make reports, can help them get protective orders. And people need to take it very seriously. Even if you're the one experiencing it, maybe you know somebody who's experiencing it. Maybe you can contact us on their behalf or encourage them to reach out for help because we do not want to see anything escalate into violence.
01:13:58
Speaker 2: And the department's position on that within?
01:14:00
Speaker 12: Oh, it's the same as any other misconduct. We don't tolerate domestic abuse within the agency. Any allegations of misconduct will be thoroughly investigated. We have criminal investigators that investigate that just like we do any other alleged misconduct.
01:14:24
Speaker 2: And a couple of fun things, Halloween Open House and Faith in Blue, what are those?
01:14:32
Speaker 4: Yeah.
01:14:32
Speaker 12: So Faith in Blue, I just mentioned a little bit.
01:14:36
Speaker 9: Oh, yeah, you did.
01:14:37
Speaker 12: Okay. We had members of our agency throughout the city participate in or attend churches throughout the city that were participating in Faith in Blue weekend and open their doors to us to try to foster faith. further ongoing relationships and partnerships with our faith community. And I personally attended a lovely service at Purpose of Life, and we had members of the agency that attended services throughout the city this weekend. And officers in between their calls for service would stop by and try to engage with members of congregations as they came and went from their services throughout the weekend. It just the importance of the faith community in our community. And again, partnerships, because the police department, we know that we can't do things, we can't reduce crime, we can't keep the community safe without those partnerships. And that was just one initiative that we participated in to try to extend and deepen those partnerships in our community. And then we do have some other things going on. Obviously, this month is Halloween, and we have a couple of events coming up that people are invited to. Southwest District is hosting a Treats and Scoops event on October 20th between 4.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Culver's at 4701 Kentucky Avenue.
01:16:12
Speaker 4: Okay.
01:16:13
Speaker 12: East District is doing a trunk or treat at 3308 North Mithoffer on October 24th, and that's between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. And then on Halloween night, actually, our Southeast District does a phenomenal job of partnering with the community and officers that are going to put on their haunted house, at Southeast District between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on a Halloween night. If you haven't had a chance to go through that, it's really quite a spectacle, and they go all out, and it's a real fun time for all the kids in the neighborhood.
01:16:52
Speaker 2: That's fantastic. Chief, I want to circle back to two things quickly. The transparency website, with all the stats and things of that nature, what is it again, and how can I share that?
01:17:07
Speaker 12: I actually have a QR code in front of me, and I don't have the website, but if you search IMP transparency website, just on any search browser, it will come up.
01:17:18
Speaker 2: And the other thing regarding recruitment, I know that you're still, are you still what, 300 officers short?
01:17:24
Speaker 12: Yes, we're over 350 officers short, and we are actively recruiting, and we're recruiting good men and women to who have a heart to serve, who want to be the change that they want to see both within their agency and within their community, those who want to do something bigger than themselves and just make an impact on people, make a difference in people's lives each and every day. That's what you have an opportunity to do with IMPD, and you can go to joinimpd.indy.gov.
01:17:57
Speaker 2: And the 10-hour shifts, how are those working out? Is that covering some... I know that it has to be, what do you call it, compensated for the shortage with more overtime, extended shifts. How's that working out?
01:18:11
Speaker 12: So the 10-hour shift was something that was voted by the officers, and they voted to keep the 10-hour shift model after a short pilot that we did over last year. So that will be something that we'll keep moving forward.
01:18:24
Speaker 8: So.
01:18:27
Speaker 12: I think the shifts are going well. We're short-staffed regardless of what shift model that we adopt, but the 10-hour shifts are really modeled around having a peak number of officers on duty when our calls for service times are peaking as well. There's a lot of overlap with those shifts, and one of the big benefits that I see with the 10-hour shift model is is it gives officers more days off throughout the year, ultimately, which speaks to the overall officer wellness aspect of that. They have a time to rest and recharge between their work weeks. to a greater extent than they, that they would with the six hour, six days on, three days off work shift.
01:19:11
Speaker 2: Well, I appreciate you talking with the community. I appreciate you taking the call. I certainly appreciate you reminding us of the IMPD transparency page, because I want to look at that and I want to make sure that our listeners can look at that and, and have an idea of what's going on as well when, because that, that phrase comes out so often. And it's just important to, to try to figure out what's going on with that. And sometimes, you know, you find it in the numbers. It just all depends. But thank you so very much for coming on. And we look forward to speaking with you again. And did I forget anything?
01:19:49
Speaker 12: Oh, I think you covered it. Again, happy to come on the call periodically, take those calls from the community and answer anything that we're able to answer. Again, we can't do this without our community and without our partnerships, and that's something that we're going to continue to look to deepen as we move into 2027.
01:20:07
Speaker 6: Okay.
01:20:08
Speaker 2: Thank you, Chief. Appreciate it. We really appreciate you being here.
01:20:11
Speaker 5: All right.
01:20:11
Speaker 6: You too.
01:20:12
Speaker 12: Bye-bye.
01:20:13
Speaker 6: Bye-bye.
01:20:14
Speaker 2: And again, Chief Tanya Terry, Chief of IMPD, I really appreciated, and I do want to take a closer look at that transparency page because that is the That's the key word that we keep getting from and hearing from the community is that they're not having, there's no transparency.
01:20:36
Speaker 3: That's true. That's true.
01:20:37
Speaker 2: And she made an interesting point. And I, you know, there's a couple of questions I guess we could have asked, but her point was transparency. So I need to find out when it comes to transparency, what the police department's definition is and what the community's definition is.
01:20:53
Speaker 3: I'm looking at that page right now.
01:20:55
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:20:56
Speaker 3: It shows crashes, traffic stops, citations and warnings.
01:21:00
Speaker 4: Yeah.
01:21:01
Speaker 3: That kind of thing. And there's more information there, too.
01:21:03
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:21:03
Speaker 2: And I think that, you know, one I wonder if I want to dig deep, too, because sometimes the community feels as if transparency has to do with maybe how quickly video is released.
01:21:14
Speaker 3: Exactly.
01:21:15
Speaker 2: You know, is that not transparent or, you know, how. someone is charged, is that not transparent? So is there, you know, I want to look, is there something in the numbers that would explain a little bit more or not? And we can, you know, we can continue that conversation. I do hope to continue. I hope so. Samuel L. Jackson, go ahead.
01:21:36
Speaker 3: He had a question for the chief.
01:21:37
Speaker 2: Oh, we had, she, she had to be gone. In fact, I went five minutes over.
01:21:42
Speaker 3: Oh, okay.
01:21:43
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:21:43
Speaker 2: She only had, maybe he can ask, let me, let me go ahead.
01:21:48
Speaker 3: Sam, you there?
01:21:49
Speaker 8: Go ahead.
01:21:50
Speaker 11: Yeah, I'm right here, buddy. Yeah, my question was, I went after chief. Do they have a reserve IPS force like the military reserve, like Army Reserve, Marine Reserve?
01:22:03
Speaker 8: Do they have a reserve?
01:22:04
Speaker 2: IMPD Reserve Police Officers Force? Or police officers? That came up before, I think with the Sheriff's Department.
01:22:14
Speaker 9: Remember?
01:22:15
Speaker 2: Oh, my goodness. I cannot remember what that was, but I tell you what, I'll find out for you. I'll find out.
01:22:21
Speaker 8: OK. All right.
01:22:23
Speaker 2: All right. All right. Thank you. And and again, it's not that I do not understand the frustration. And that's why I asked the chief what the definition is for, you know, the police department's definition of transparency. And therein lies where maybe, as she said, we can get a reasonable conversation going, you know, a good conversation going about. What we see as transparency and what they see as we, they, meaning we, the community, and what the police department sees as transparency.
01:22:57
Speaker 3: Exactly.
01:22:58
Speaker 2: That's a good start. I think it's a good head start.
01:23:02
Speaker 3: I'd agree.
01:23:03
Speaker 2: Let's go to the phone.
01:23:05
Speaker 1: No, no, no.
01:23:06
Speaker 3: You want to take a break?
01:23:07
Speaker 2: We're going to take a break.
01:23:08
Speaker 3: Take a break.
01:23:09
Speaker 2: Because you're playing the music.
01:23:09
Speaker 3: Yeah, we'll come back after. Got to pay some bills.
01:23:11
Speaker 4: All right.
01:23:12
Speaker 2: Thank you.
01:23:19
Speaker 1: Let's get back to the conversation. It's Community Connection with Tina Cosby from the Praise Indie Indigo Studios on Praise.
01:23:28
Speaker 8: AM 1310, 95.1 FM.
01:23:32
Speaker 2: And we are back with Community Connection, and we are going to switch gears to the upcoming holiday season. And so much of it takes place on the Avenue. That's good. As per the tradition, yeah.
01:23:46
Speaker 3: That's very good, on the Avenue.
01:23:47
Speaker 2: Very good, indeed, on the Avenue. Here with us now are Tinashe Anders. She is Vice President of National Programming and Fund Development of the Matamorford Legacy Center. And Rodney Stepp, award-winning national recording artist, producer, and songwriter. Welcome to you both. How are you both today?
01:24:04
Speaker 12: Pretty good.
01:24:06
Speaker 2: Pretty good.
01:24:07
Speaker 9: You're great.
01:24:08
Speaker 2: It's great. It's great. It's great.
01:24:10
Speaker 7: I'm great. Yes, I received that.
01:24:12
Speaker 2: Yes, indeed.
01:24:13
Speaker 3: Okay, okay.
01:24:15
Speaker 2: So what's going on? What's going on or what's coming up? Let's go there.
01:24:18
Speaker 7: We're really excited for the holiday season at the Walker. We have something for the young folks as well as the grown folks coming up in November and December. And One of the things that we have coming up on Black Friday, Friday right after Thanksgiving, is a special holiday on the app screening of Disney's Princess and the Frog. And we're doing that in partnership with the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, specifically in relationship to their Princess Tiana's Joyful Celebration exhibit. And so we partnered up to be able to share more about Disney's first Black princess. And so this will be our opportunity to see where the exhibit came from because it is a spinoff of The Princess and the Frog. And so we're asking for everyone to bring their little ones out and celebrate the Day After Thanksgiving and just join us for this special screening, an opportunity to learn more in regards to the history as it relates to the Princess Tiana Joyful Celebration exhibit. that actually was done with the Children's Museum of Indianapolis and Walt Disney's Imagineering. And so we want to bring a little bit of that magic to the Walker during the holidays and invite families out to be able to check it out on noon on a Black Friday. And so tickets are under $ 10. There will be a lot of giveaways. There will be a lot of activities for children and families in general. But it will be a lot of fun and something to do that you can do inexpensively as you get ready for the holidays.
01:25:52
Speaker 2: How long has this holiday on the avenue been a tradition here in the city of Indianapolis?
01:25:59
Speaker 7: It's been a tradition. Well, I will say right after COVID, we've been going nonstop once we reopened with Rodney Steph as it relates to the holiday on the avenue review. We were doing that even before then over the years. Rodney, you could probably tell the folks better than I can in regards.
01:26:19
Speaker 11: To the history.
01:26:20
Speaker 8: Well, great. Good afternoon, Peter. How are you?
01:26:23
Speaker 2: I am well. How are you?
01:26:25
Speaker 3: How are you?
01:26:26
Speaker 8: You know, I am blessed, most definitely. Well, like I said, we began really December of 2021. This is our sixth annual Avenue Holiday on the Ave. And this year, of course, it's going to feature my old stomping grounds, the Spinner's Legacy Reviews. And, yeah, we've been doing this. You know, I had that vision to bring back the music on the avenue, and Walker was willing to partner with me on it, and we've been doing it since 2021. Wow.
01:27:01
Speaker 2: So tell everybody a little bit more about what it entails and what it's like, what it's about.
01:27:10
Speaker 8: Hello? Hello?
01:27:12
Speaker 7: The concert in itself, Ronnie, I don't know if you want to share more detail about what to expect as far as the music and the magic.
01:27:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, just what folks can look forward to.
01:27:21
Speaker 8: Oh, they can definitely look for, I think we accidentally muted.
01:27:25
Speaker 9: Oh, okay.
01:27:26
Speaker 8: Folks can definitely look for music from the Philadelphia Sound, you know, Tom Bell, Linda Creed, who were producers and writers for the Spinners. As you know, the Spinners were a part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. It's going to be exciting. My guys, my musicians, they're top. They're top notch. The shows that we have been doing have been selling out everywhere. And I think with myself and Alan Turk Burke, Turk was the musical director for the Spinners for 23 years. And, you know, I was with them for over six years. And so we have combined together with our experiences And we've put together one heck of a show, and the audience is definitely going to be thrilled. They better not miss this one.
01:28:20
Speaker 2: So what do people need? I mean, you say tickets are available now, or they go on? Maybe I missed that.
01:28:26
Speaker 8: Yeah, tickets are available now.
01:28:29
Speaker 2: Oh, now. Okay.
01:28:30
Speaker 8: We always start the ticket sales in July. We always have a little promotion, Christmas in July sale. And we discount the tickets in July. you know, so for those early birds. And we've got a few early birds. But I tell you, this show, this year, you don't want to miss. You didn't want to miss any of the shows, really. Yeah.
01:28:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, there's so much history with the Avenue and Christmas, you know, the Christmas tradition. You know, I don't know that, Eric, were you aware of Disney's first Black Princess?
01:29:07
Speaker 3: No, I was not. I was clueless on that. I don't know how I missed that.
01:29:13
Speaker 7: Princess Tiana, the film came out in 2011, but the exhibit that's happening at the Children's Museum that we're partnering with them on, just came out this year. And so the exhibit will be at the Children's Museum through January 4th. But what we're going to do is meet into the community and make sure our community is aware of the fact that there's this rare exhibit that's actually a national exhibit that they did in partnership with the Walt Disney Imagineering. So it's starting in Indianapolis, and then it's going to travel throughout the world after this. So this is the first glimpse and the first step in regards to the exhibit being um displayed and like i said we're going to be leaning into the princess and the frog film to give them the the backstory of what what this history is all about as it relates to the first black princess so you know bring out all of your all of the little ones they can come as princesses they can come as princesses and then um enjoy and understand you know that the whole story behind it and like i said the magic for during the holidays and so We have that happening at noon on Black Friday. Or you can come check out the film before you go shopping, before you hit the lighting of the Christmas trees and.
01:30:24
Speaker 4: All the things.
01:30:24
Speaker 7: And so we're excited about that. And then, like Rodney said, we have something for the grown folks on that Saturday, December 5th, with the Spinner's Legacy Review. And all of the details are available at the MadamWalkerLegacyCenter.com. On our website, MadamLegacyCenter.com. MadamWalkerLegacyCenter.com. And the tickets are also available at the box office for the Spinner's Legacy Review.
01:30:51
Speaker 2: Okay, well, it's going to be a great time. Sounds like it's going to be very nice.
01:30:56
Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah. I don't know if you know, Tina, also, you know, I first played the, it was the Recorder's Midnight Christmas Show back in the day. And that's one of the reasons I wanted to bring this back. I was 13 years old the first time I graced the stage at the Madam Walker. 13?
01:31:15
Speaker 3: Come on.
01:31:16
Speaker 8: I was 13. Wow. With a band called The Diplomats. We were there, and the sensation that the guys were from Lockfield. And, you know, designated productions and a whole lot of, you know, a lot of old acts. So, you know, I wanted to get this music back into the neighborhood, and especially after what I went through with COVID in 2020, God put me on a mission to kind of, you know, just.
01:31:45
Speaker 2: Bring the community back together. Yeah, COVID almost took you out of here. I remember you had one heck of a battle. And we're so grateful. Yeah, so grateful that you are here with us. I don't know that everybody knows that story, but you're almost a miracle. Well, I guess you would call it a miracle.
01:32:03
Speaker 8: It is a miracle. It really is. It really is. And, uh, yeah. So, you know, we want to give back each and every year and we thank all of you for the support and all of the fans that have been coming out, uh, because you've really supported, uh, you know, the holiday on the app. And we're going to continue. We're going to keep it going.
01:32:24
Speaker 4: All right.
01:32:24
Speaker 8: We need you to keep buying those tickets and coming out.
01:32:27
Speaker 3: Okay.
01:32:29
Speaker 2: All righty. So we'll give the website once more so the folks can get started on those tickets and reserve your seats. What's the website again?
01:32:39
Speaker 4: All right.
01:32:40
Speaker 3: Thank you.
01:32:40
Speaker 12: Thank you all so much.
01:32:41
Speaker 7: It's going to be a sellout again. Rodney sells out every year.
01:32:44
Speaker 2: Okay.
01:32:45
Speaker 1: Okay.
01:32:45
Speaker 3: Count on it.
01:32:47
Speaker 2: Count on it. Count on it. Thank you so very much. Appreciate it. And all the best.
01:32:51
Speaker 8: All right.
01:32:51
Speaker 6: Yeah.
01:32:52
Speaker 8: Thank you.
01:32:53
Speaker 6: Thank you.
01:32:53
Speaker 2: I told you the holiday season.
01:32:55
Speaker 3: I told you.
01:32:55
Speaker 6: You said it.
01:32:56
Speaker 3: You said it. You said the holiday season.
01:32:58
Speaker 2: Ready or not, here it comes.
01:33:00
Speaker 3: Ready now.
01:33:00
Speaker 4: Yep. Indeed.
01:33:01
Speaker 1: Indeed.
01:33:02
Speaker 4: Indeed.
01:33:02
Speaker 3: It is here.
01:33:04
Speaker 2: It is indeed here. So we have... We have a lot of stuff, a lot more stuff still coming up, including tomorrow where we're going to have, oh, this guy, it's a conversation about, have you ever heard of Jason Reynolds? I have. Yeah. African-American author who has just been doing some phenomenal, excuse me, some phenomenal work. In fact, I bought one of his books, Spider-Man, Miles Morales. I bought one of those books for my grandson, but he's just phenomenal. But anyway, he's coming here.
01:33:46
Speaker 3: Oh, he's going to be here.
01:33:47
Speaker 2: He's going to be here in Indianapolis. Yeah, he's going to be here. So we got that. We got that.
01:33:53
Speaker 4: That's nice.
01:33:54
Speaker 3: Didn't know that.
01:33:55
Speaker 2: Surprise. Surprise indeed. Surprise indeed. So 317-480-1310. 317-480-1310. We have, let's see. Oh, we have. Oh, there, you know, a little reaction to the chief's interview, which, you know, we knew there was going to be.
01:34:18
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:34:18
Speaker 3: Okay. You can see. Yeah. Some of the comments.
01:34:21
Speaker 2: Now, one, now let's ask. So this is a, I can't read all that. Marion said, okay, now let's not act sublime. We know that transparency means being truthful, open, and honest with interactions within the community. So now you want to split hairs, truthful and honest. Well, it's not a matter of splitting hairs. I want to know, yeah, to the number of people, that's exactly what transparency means.
01:34:46
Speaker 3: Yeah.
01:34:46
Speaker 2: To those in charge, how do you define it?
01:34:49
Speaker 3: How do they define it?
01:34:50
Speaker 2: That's all I was saying. I'm not splitting hairs. I want to know. Yes, that is 100% correct. If I'm asking, if somebody's asking me about transparency, I'm going to think it means being truthful, open and honest with interactions within the community. So this is my expectation of transparency. So if I'm taking that to someone else, like the department, the police department, this is what I'm saying. I want transparency.
01:35:17
Speaker 9: Yeah.
01:35:17
Speaker 3: Should be the same, really. It really should, but it's not. But it should be the same.
01:35:22
Speaker 2: But it's not. So, you know, good comment. Thank you. Great comment. Again, not splitting hairs, but great comment on that. So we can read. There's a whole lot more. But the fact of the matter is, wow, that's a difficult thing, especially because it's emotional. Typically, it involves the serious injury or death. You know, this is if we could say that this is brand new, this has been since the existence of police community relations.
01:35:57
Speaker 3: It certainly has. I think so.
01:35:59
Speaker 2: I believe so. And some have done it better than others. Some have been better than others. So we just have to keep having the conversation. But I did want to I did want to find out from her, you know, from Chief Terry, because Chief Terry, you know, may may go about it a different way than perhaps. Former Chief Taylor, former Chief Bailey, former Chief Roach and some of the others. They all approach it differently. But I do like the fact that the community stays involved.
01:36:25
Speaker 3: Absolutely.
01:36:26
Speaker 2: That the community continues to make demands and that the community lets the department know that they're there.
01:36:32
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:36:32
Speaker 3: So holding the feet to the fire.
01:36:34
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:36:34
Speaker 4: Yeah.
01:36:35
Speaker 2: I mean, that's that's what we're supposed to do. So appreciate the comment. Thank you. Very much. Good comment.
01:36:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, that transparency hub. I can see crime stats, that kind of thing.
01:36:43
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:36:43
Speaker 3: I see all of that.
01:36:44
Speaker 2: And maybe that's how some people just, you know, but it's not. I mean, maybe that's what it means to this particular side, but to the other side.
01:36:52
Speaker 3: You know, it means something different. Something different, yeah.
01:36:55
Speaker 2: But we wouldn't know that unless we talked.
01:36:57
Speaker 3: That's true.
01:36:58
Speaker 2: We wouldn't know that. Also coming up this week, we have, oh, well, we got Danny, of course.
01:37:07
Speaker 3: Danny, who loves the Colts and the fear.
01:37:09
Speaker 2: Loves the Colts. But did he pick the Colts?
01:37:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, he said he did. I think he picked the Colts to win. Yeah, he picked them to beat the Steelers.
01:37:14
Speaker 2: He didn't listen. He should have talked to me first, as I would have told him.
01:37:18
Speaker 3: We're not beating the Steelers in more than a decade.
01:37:20
Speaker 2: We're going to have two state lawmakers, a state representative, State Representative Cherish Pryor, and then we're going to have State Senator Greg Taylor here on the 15th. So if you all want to prepare your questions, comments, and what have you for both of them on the 15th, they're going to be talking about this question one that we keep talking about. It keeps coming up. And you got to know, especially as we get closer and closer to Election Day, closer and closer to the expansion of the satellite locations in Marion County, closer and closer to all of that, everything, November 3rd, you need to know what you're being asked on that ballot, especially with question one. You need to know that it is worded in such a way, somewhat of a word salad, I guess.
01:38:13
Speaker 3: Yeah, word salad.
01:38:16
Speaker 2: That will confuse you. It can confuse you. And had I not known what it was about, I probably would have been confused. And a lot of times if something is too complicated, you just, oh, whatever. You just say, you do.
01:38:27
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's true, you do.
01:38:29
Speaker 2: Just to get through it.
01:38:30
Speaker 8: It.
01:38:30
Speaker 3: Right, I'm done or I'll skip this, skip that. Okay, I've done my thing.
01:38:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is one question that you cannot just rush through. And we are doing our level best to interpret it for you, to break it down for you, to let you know not to fall into a trap of just saying, okay, I want to be done with it. I just want to move on to the other choices. You can't in this one because this is something that could very possibly look to change the Constitution.
01:38:58
Speaker 3: Certainly could.
01:38:59
Speaker 2: So, and again, according to, well, you know what? We were telling everybody that the, we're trying, have we got that on our website yet?
01:39:10
Speaker 3: I don't, I'm going to have to ask and see. I haven't heard, I haven't heard anything so far. I'll have to check again and see.
01:39:15
Speaker 12: Yeah.
01:39:16
Speaker 2: A proposed amendment to Article 1, Section 17 of the— this is from the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, which, as they say a lot of times on Sunday, you hear people say, make it plain, make it plain. The IBLC has made it plain. The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus has made it plain for you. It explains what is this? What is question one? It is a proposed amendment to Article 117, Section 17 of the Indiana Constitution that would expand when a person can be denied bail. If approved by voters, it changes who can be held in jail without the option of release before trial. The current law, only people charged with murder or treason can be denied bail if proof is evident or the presumption strong. That's how it is right now. They're asking you, can we change or amend the Indiana state constitution to read that anyone can be denied bail? Not just murderers or treasonous suspects, murderers or treasonous suspects. people charged with murder or treason. So it goes on to say the proposed change would allow denial of bail for any offense if the proof is evident or the presumption is strong and the state proves by clear and convincing evidence that no release conditions will reasonably protect the safety of any person or the community. The potential community impact, more people could be held in jail before trial or Even for nonviolent offenses, black and marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by pretrial detention. So it's already bad. The landscape is already bad. And if this passes, it's going to be worse.
01:41:06
Speaker 3: It's going to be worse.
01:41:09
Speaker 2: They're going to explain it. They're going to take it step by step for you. Yes, yes, it's needed.
01:41:14
Speaker 3: I meant to ask, Julia, are there any states that actually explain this?
01:41:19
Speaker 2: Well, she was talking about the voter guides.
01:41:22
Speaker 3: Yeah, the voter guides.
01:41:22
Speaker 2: And so I wonder if maybe they're explained in the voter guides. Other states have voter guides that they mail out on the regular. I think she said California was one of them.
01:41:30
Speaker 3: Interesting. But we don't. Indiana does not.
01:41:32
Speaker 2: Indiana does not. Or was it Arizona? Anyway, someplace out west.
01:41:35
Speaker 3: I just wondered how many other states had voter guides, and I know Indiana does not. Just out of curiosity.
01:41:42
Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah.
01:41:43
Speaker 2: But there's that. Anyway, so they're coming on Thursday. They're coming on Thursday, and I'll tell you the exact time as well. They're coming on Thursday at 1.30. That's Representative Cherish Pryor and State Senator Greg Taylor, and they are gladly going to be here in studio to sit down and go through all of this for all of you as you vote or prior to voting. So there's going to be that. Let's see, what else do we... And then on Friday... at 1.30, we are going to have two academics from the University of Indiana, UND, yeah. And they're going to go through, they're going to be kind of a human voter guide as well. And each office, because a lot of times people say, well, I don't know what this office is and this office is, and I don't know if I should Say this or that or what have you. They're going to go through those.
01:42:39
Speaker 8: Good.
01:42:39
Speaker 3: That'll be good because most people don't. Most people don't know.
01:42:42
Speaker 2: And again, the lines will be open for that as well. So we're trying to get to as much as possible. I know that voting, even though it's, as Julia reported, it's heavy twice as much as it is or has been over the same period on the first day for early voting and city-county building, a lot of folks just simply haven't done it yet.
01:42:58
Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
01:43:00
Speaker 2: You know, so we're trying to get it all in before you make those final choices so that at least, you know, we're doing our best to get as many folks in here to help you as well. And hopefully. our first caller of the day had a happy ending to his call as well. So we thank you. We thank you. We thank you. That's all the time that we have for right now, though. I do believe, unless did we forget anything?
01:43:25
Speaker 3: Um, I think we got everything.
01:43:27
Speaker 8: Okay.
01:43:28
Speaker 3: Let me look at this. Just, yeah, we got everything.
01:43:30
Speaker 2: We got everything.
01:43:30
Speaker 3: We covered everything.
01:43:31
Speaker 8: Okay.
01:43:31
Speaker 4: Okay.
01:43:32
Speaker 2: Until tomorrow.
01:43:33
Speaker 3: Until tomorrow.
01:43:34
Speaker 2: Everything until tomorrow.
01:43:35
Speaker 3: Do it again tomorrow.
01:43:36
Speaker 4: Indeed.
01:43:36
Speaker 1: Indeed.
01:43:37
Speaker 2: We will do this all over again tomorrow. So we will talk with you soon. Willie Moore Jr. on the radio is up next. Thank you all for listening as always. Our website is praiseindy.com. For Eric, Garnie, and myself, this is Community Connection.
Speaker 1: WTLC AM, W236 CR Indianapolis. Broadcasting from the Praise Indy Indigo Studios. Discussing the issues that matter to you. It's Community Connection with Tina Cosby on Praise AM 1310, 95.1 FM.
00:00:19
Speaker 2: And good afternoon and welcome to Community Connection. I'm Tina Cosby. Today is Tuesday, October the 13th, 317-480-1310. 317-480-1310 is the number to the show. And on the show today, ready or not, the holiday season is just around the corner.
00:00:39
Speaker 3: Ready or not, yeah.
00:00:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, ready or not, here it comes. I was hearing some Christmas music on something yesterday.
00:00:45
Speaker 3: Are you serious?
00:00:46
Speaker 4: Oh, yeah.
00:00:46
Speaker 3: Christmas music?
00:00:47
Speaker 5: Come on now.
00:00:48
Speaker 6: Today? Today?
00:00:49
Speaker 2: Yesterday.
00:00:49
Speaker 3: Yesterday, really? Oh, it's a little too soon for that.
00:00:52
Speaker 2: Nah, no.
00:00:53
Speaker 3: You don't think so? No, no, no, no. Maybe it's not. I don't know. I don't know. I'd say give it another week. Then maybe some Christmas music.
00:01:00
Speaker 2: Well, we're going to be changing Christmas music before, what is it, before the, what do you call it, fallback.
00:01:08
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah.
00:01:08
Speaker 3: Changing the clock. Oh, that's going to happen on.
00:01:10
Speaker 1: The 1st, I think.
00:01:11
Speaker 2: November 1st. Yeah, the very 1st.
00:01:12
Speaker 3: Isn't that the earliest? It seems like it's always been like a little bit, four days end in November or something.
00:01:18
Speaker 6: Oh, really?
00:01:19
Speaker 3: Uh, maybe it's, I don't know.
00:01:20
Speaker 2: It seems like, I know it doesn't last long enough.
00:01:23
Speaker 3: You got that right.
00:01:24
Speaker 2: It seems like January 1st, you're springing forward again.
00:01:26
Speaker 4: I mean, that's true.
00:01:27
Speaker 2: You know, that's an exaggeration, but it sure feels.
00:01:30
Speaker 3: Like it does feel like it. You're right.
00:01:31
Speaker 2: We'll, uh, we'll get another, you know, another hour coming up.
00:01:35
Speaker 3: Another hour.
00:01:35
Speaker 5: Another hour.
00:01:36
Speaker 3: So yeah.
00:01:37
Speaker 7: Coming up.
00:01:38
Speaker 2: Coming up. Well, again, today is Tuesday. Let's see what all we got. We got so much stuff today.
00:01:44
Speaker 3: It's a packed show.
00:01:45
Speaker 2: Yeah, pretty much. Um, 317-480-1310, 317-480-1310 is the number. Coming up in our second hour, speaking of fact, we'll speak with the Madam Walker Legacy Center about what festive events they have on the calendar for the community to enjoy for this upcoming holiday season. So good for that. Also in our second hour, IMPD Chief Tanya Terry joins us. If you have a question or what have you, we will have some time. We'll have about 30 minutes or so. You can call in, get your questions together. It has to be a question so we can get everybody in if we get a chance to get to as many as we possibly can.
00:02:30
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:02:31
Speaker 2: We're going to ask her about the latest from that flock camera investigation and.
00:02:35
Speaker 3: A lot more. Love to know more about that. That's for sure.
00:02:38
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, yeah. I'd like to know how they're handling it now. Looks like good. Looks like it's coming down to a couple of things that had to change very quickly. A little later this hour, voter education contributor Julia Vaughn, she'll be joining us for her weekly session. Yesterday was a holiday, so Julia's coming today. She usually comes on Monday. So she's coming today. So right now, though, the lines are open for what might be on your mind.
00:03:07
Speaker 8: 317-480-1310. 317-480-1310.
00:03:11
Speaker 2: 480-1310 is the number to the show. The phone lines are open. And, you know, Eric, I couldn't believe my ears when I heard. I was listening to a weather report a short time ago and I couldn't believe they said we could reach 90 today.
00:03:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's what they're saying.
00:03:30
Speaker 4: Ninety.
00:03:32
Speaker 3: Very likely today. I couldn't either. It's almost how do you dress? You leave in the morning, it might be 45. I know, and then you're burning out. 92 in the afternoon. It's 84 right now downtown. Got some sun and clouds in the area going for 90. Yeah, 90 this afternoon. A lot of sunshine later this afternoon. Winds out of the southwest about 10 miles per hour, getting as high as 21 miles per hour. So that's adding even more warmth into the area. Then tonight, mostly clear, going to get down to about 71. And tomorrow, here come the showers. Chance of showers early morning tomorrow. Looks like most of the day, maybe even some thunder in there, too. Around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. High near 81 tomorrow. And in case you're wondering, Thursday, get ready for more showers. And some thunderstorms before midnight on Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Looks like a high on Thursday, about 76. And, Tina, you ready for this?
00:04:30
Speaker 6: Mm-hmm.
00:04:31
Speaker 3: Friday? Showers will be ending high around 60.
00:04:37
Speaker 4: Hmm.
00:04:38
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:04:39
Speaker 3: And windy. Add some wind in there, too, on Friday.
00:04:41
Speaker 2: It's going to be cool.
00:04:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.
00:04:43
Speaker 3: It's going to be cool.
00:04:44
Speaker 2: Cool and high. Okay, we got it.
00:04:48
Speaker 3: So that's where we are right now.
00:04:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, the lows will be around the 30-ish.
00:04:51
Speaker 3: Yeah, in the 30-ish. Yeah, it could be in the 30s. No frost yet, which is good. Not yet. Well, that's good.
00:04:57
Speaker 2: I want to remind everyone, 317-480-1310. Again, the lines are open until.
00:05:02
Speaker 2: For whatever's on your mind for now. And then, you know, we'll stay on topic when our guests get here. 317-480-1310, 317-480-1310. But election day is coming up Tuesday, November the 3rd. Tuesday, November the 3rd is the day for midterm election day. 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. here in the state of Indiana. On election day, there will be more than 100 vote centers I don't have the exact count. I can get it. But the bottom line is in Marion County, Indianapolis and Marion County, you have a number of possible places to vote on Election Day between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. So just put that on your calendar. Coming up the weekend of the 24th, a number right now, early voting is at the city county building. during regular hours, but in another week or so, we're going to have some satellite locations coming up as well. So, yeah, just make a mental note. Make a mental note of it. We've got a lot more details coming up, but just get that on your calendar and get that in your vibration, so to speak. Either vote early or to vote on Election Day. I know in southern Indiana, I talked to some family down there this morning on my way into work, and they're going to vote today. There's no place as populated as Marion County, as we talk about. But for early voting, they have three early voting sites down there.
00:06:44
Speaker 10: Three.
00:06:45
Speaker 8: Three.
00:06:46
Speaker 2: Before they expand the sites. So it's just, you know, we got to figure out a way. We got to find an end around, some kind of an end around here uh, for Marion County to have more than just one place, uh, to early vote, but it has been good. I've talked to people down at the city County building and the flow has been fine. It's been really, really good, been a good flow. Uh, so there we have that 3 1 7 4 8 0 13 10. Julia Vaughn is going to talk a lot more about, uh, elections, voting, uh, voter protection, uh, voter integrity, all kinds of things. Uh, so we'll, uh, We'll get to that when she joins us probably in about 1.30. She's going to join us at the bottom of the hour. 317-480-1310. We have a caller with a question. Go ahead, Malcolm.
00:07:41
Speaker 6: Hello.
00:07:41
Speaker 8: Hello.
00:07:42
Speaker 9: How are you?
00:07:42
Speaker 11: Yes.
00:07:43
Speaker 9: Good.
00:07:44
Speaker 4: Can you hear me well now?
00:07:46
Speaker 2: Yes, I can hear you.
00:07:47
Speaker 4: Okay. I have a question concerning the absentee ballots. I was sent two of them. One was for myself and one was for my son.
00:07:57
Speaker 2: Did you request them?
00:08:01
Speaker 4: Yeah, I did.
00:08:01
Speaker 3: Okay.
00:08:03
Speaker 4: Now, with that being said, they sent him an absentee ballot. Now, this will be him, a first-time voter. And he also has a disability. Now, what I was kind of not understanding is that, okay, I helped him feel he is out. and everything, and I was wondering, I don't know if he's registered. That's the thing. Is that a problem, though?
00:08:32
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:08:33
Speaker 2: That's a huge problem. If he's not registered, he can't vote.
00:08:37
Speaker 4: Well, on the absentee ballot, it said to give them his ID number, his.
00:08:49
Speaker 6: What else was it?
00:08:51
Speaker 4: Uh... his ID number, and date of birth, I believe.
00:08:57
Speaker 2: Can you check online? Go to indianavoters.com and just check to see if he's even registered. Because if he's not registered, it's all a moot point. You don't need to go through all of it. If he is registered, then yes. But if he's not registered, then.
00:09:13
Speaker 4: Well, let me ask you something before you go into that. If he's not registered... And I already filled out the absentee ballot. Can I still register?
00:09:24
Speaker 8: No.
00:09:25
Speaker 4: Would that affect?
00:09:26
Speaker 8: No.
00:09:26
Speaker 2: Registration deadline has passed.
00:09:29
Speaker 8: Oh, my goodness.
00:09:30
Speaker 2: Yeah. We, I don't know, and everybody doesn't get a chance to listen every day, but I know for at least 30 days prior to the deadline, maybe a little sooner, we started talking about check your voter registration, check it, check it, check it, check it. And make sure now you still can check it. You know, we could be talking about something that's a non factor. He may be registered. I don't know. But if he's not registered, you know, unfortunately, that's why we remind people. to check your.
00:10:02
Speaker 4: My thing is that if he's not registered, why would they send him a ballot?
00:10:06
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, that.
00:10:09
Speaker 2: The bottom line is I wouldn't even go there. Find out if he's registered. If he is registered, finish filling it out. If he's not registered, there's nothing more you can do. So what you have to find out is if he is or is not a registered voter. That's the only thing right now that's in question that I can see. Yeah. Do you have access to the website? Can you get on there pretty quickly? All you need is his date of birth, I do believe.
00:10:44
Speaker 7: Mm-hmm.
00:10:46
Speaker 4: I can share it.
00:10:48
Speaker 2: Is he a teenager? How old is he?
00:10:51
Speaker 4: He just turned 20.
00:10:53
Speaker 2: Just turned 20. Has he ever voted before?
00:10:55
Speaker 9: No.
00:10:56
Speaker 4: This would be his first time because the last time when I tried to do this, see, he has a disability. Mm-hmm.
00:11:04
Speaker 2: I understand.
00:11:05
Speaker 3: I understand.
00:11:06
Speaker 4: And he doesn't understand how to do it. So I believe that's probably why I requested for him to get it after.
00:11:13
Speaker 2: He got it last time.
00:11:14
Speaker 4: Okay, that makes sense.
00:11:15
Speaker 2: It makes perfect sense.
00:11:17
Speaker 4: And I noticed at the bottom of the absentee ballot, it stated that if you help someone, you know, do the ballot itself, then, you know, I had to fill out my portion of it.
00:11:29
Speaker 2: Exactly.
00:11:30
Speaker 4: So I did that part, too.
00:11:31
Speaker 2: Okay.
00:11:33
Speaker 4: So I was just, you know, it just never dawned on me. I really didn't question him because I thought that probably he was already registered. Then I thought about it. I said, well, let me.
00:11:43
Speaker 2: Did you ask him? Can you just ask him directly if he's registered?
00:11:48
Speaker 4: I don't think he is.
00:11:49
Speaker 2: Because, again, he doesn't understand. Well, my question, you need to find out definitively, one way or the other. Either go online and check or ask him directly before you move forward. That's the key to the whole thing. The key to the whole thing is the voter registration. And am I missing something here? Am I missing something, Eric?
00:12:12
Speaker 3: No, no, you're not.
00:12:13
Speaker 2: You're on point. Yeah, he has to be registered.
00:12:16
Speaker 3: He's got to be registered so he can vote. Otherwise, he can't.
00:12:19
Speaker 8: He can't vote. Okay.
00:12:20
Speaker 4: Well, then I'll just take the registry and see. And you said that's indiana.gov.
00:12:27
Speaker 3: No.
00:12:27
Speaker 2: Well, you can go to indi.gov, but a more direct route could be indianavoters.com. indianavoters.com and put it. If you have access to speaking to him or text him or call him, it's a real simple question to ask him, are you registered to vote?
00:12:49
Speaker 4: Well, again, he's not because.
00:12:52
Speaker 6: He stays with me.
00:12:54
Speaker 3: So he's not registered?
00:12:55
Speaker 2: He's not registered?
00:12:57
Speaker 4: No, I don't think so. I don't think he's ever been registered.
00:13:05
Speaker 3: In order to vote, he'll have to be registered. Do you want to get that?
00:13:07
Speaker 8: Okay.
00:13:07
Speaker 3: You don't want to?
00:13:08
Speaker 6: Okay.
00:13:09
Speaker 3: Otherwise, he won't be able to vote.
00:13:11
Speaker 5: Okay.
00:13:12
Speaker 8: Got that part down.
00:13:14
Speaker 4: All right. Now, I'll check it and see, first and foremost. Again, my point is that I believe that's why they sent it. The last time I had talked to one of the somebody, and they told me to help him with his.
00:13:37
Speaker 4: With his ballot.
00:13:40
Speaker 2: Yes, you can do that. If he has a.
00:13:43
Speaker 4: And see, I never took him to go get registered. Not in my mind. I have never took him down there or even did it online. So I doubt it, but when they sent me this ballot with his name on it.
00:14:02
Speaker 2: The fact that the ballot with his name on it came to you in U.S.
00:14:05
Speaker 8: Mail.
00:14:06
Speaker 2: is not a guarantee of the ability to vote. That's just U.S. mail. That is not a pass to go ahead and vote or not an assumption. You cannot assume because you got this in the mail for him and if you know for a fact that he has not registered to vote, you can't assume that because you got it in the mail that maybe he can go ahead and vote anyway if he's not registered. So the only way that you can utilize that is if he is registered to vote. The voter registration deadline for the state of Indiana was Monday, October the 5th at 1159. If he has not been registered or was not registered prior to that date and prior to that cutoff, regardless of how many pieces of mail pertaining to the election come, in his name, if he is not registered, he cannot exercise those pieces of mail.
00:15:07
Speaker 6: I got you.
00:15:08
Speaker 8: I got you.
00:15:09
Speaker 11: Okay.
00:15:10
Speaker 8: Understood.
00:15:12
Speaker 4: Okay. Well, thank you for the information.
00:15:15
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I would check anyway. You never know. Somebody else may have.
00:15:20
Speaker 4: That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to check anyway and see.
00:15:23
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:15:24
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, I don't know. Yeah, I hope. that by some whatever, I hope he is. I hope he is.
00:15:34
Speaker 4: I hope so, too. Because we need him. I don't know, you know, because, you know, I remember, and then again, see, you can register at 18, right?
00:15:48
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:15:49
Speaker 4: Okay, I may have did it when he was 18. I just don't remember right now. That's all I'm saying. I don't remember taking him down in life.
00:15:57
Speaker 2: I can't definitively tell you one way or another without you checking the rolls. You have to check the rolls. You have to check.
00:16:05
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:16:06
Speaker 9: OK.
00:16:06
Speaker 2: And I hope you did. I hope you did. We we need as many as we can. So let's let's let's hope. And it takes probably less than less than a minute to find out. Indiana Indiana voters dot com.
00:16:21
Speaker 8: Gotcha.
00:16:21
Speaker 4: OK. Thank you so much for the information.
00:16:23
Speaker 8: All right.
00:16:24
Speaker 2: Thank you.
00:16:25
Speaker 3: And hopefully if he didn't, maybe somebody else did.
00:16:27
Speaker 2: Maybe somebody else did, yeah, for him or what have you. But, you know, boy, what a shame that would be if he's not.
00:16:36
Speaker 3: It would be.
00:16:37
Speaker 12: Yeah.
00:16:38
Speaker 2: But just because material comes to you, that's not an automatic, that's not a given.
00:16:44
Speaker 3: Especially when they're sending... Information unrequested.
00:16:47
Speaker 2: Unrequested. But he did request it.
00:16:49
Speaker 3: He did request it, he said.
00:16:51
Speaker 2: He requested it, and so they sent it to him. But just because they sent it to him upon his request doesn't mean that his son is automatically registered to vote. That has nothing to do with it. It has nothing to do with it.
00:17:02
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:17:10
Speaker 2: Anyway. See why we tell you guys pay attention to the deadlines. I'm going to give you all the deadline again.
00:17:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, the deadline. It's already passed, too.
00:17:25
Speaker 2: Well, the deadline to vote.
00:17:26
Speaker 3: I'm telling you to vote. Well, that deadline to vote. Yeah, definitely.
00:17:29
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:17:30
Speaker 3: I want to be aware of that.
00:17:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, the voter registration. If you are not registered, and I guess I have to repeat it. I'm not the best. You know, don't shoot me. I'm just a messenger. If you're not registered to vote by now, you're not voting.
00:17:43
Speaker 3: Can't vote.
00:17:44
Speaker 2: We don't want to sit here and say that.
00:17:46
Speaker 4: No. No.
00:17:47
Speaker 3: Not at all.
00:17:48
Speaker 8: No.
00:17:50
Speaker 2: And I don't know.
00:17:54
Speaker 8: I don't know.
00:17:55
Speaker 2: But let's hope Malcolm has a happy ending.
00:17:58
Speaker 3: I hope so.
00:17:58
Speaker 2: To that situation.
00:17:59
Speaker 3: Hopefully somebody got him registered.
00:18:01
Speaker 2: Hopefully somebody did his place.
00:18:03
Speaker 3: That would be nice.
00:18:03
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:18:04
Speaker 2: Uh, but I, I think I've told this story before, um, that I have a cousin whose father is here, moved here from out of state. She moved him here and she checks every year. Uh, and this year she checked, he, he's been here for about five, four years, five years. Well, she'll tell me, but, um, long enough to be a registered voter and long enough to vote in, um, in the elections. And she checks every year just to make sure because he did come here from out of state. And this year he was no, he wasn't anywhere to be found. So, and she checked well ahead of the deadline. She said, I'm just going to check. Somehow he had been purged from the rolls and she got him right back on and he's good to go. But when we say check your voter registration or register to vote, These are the reasons you can be purged. You may be quickly approaching the deadline. You may be helping someone to vote. So make sure your your business is in order. Your voting business is in order. Indiana has stricter timelines and much less forgiving deadlines, so to speak. They're short windows. Indiana has much shorter windows, if you will. And so that is why we do our best to.
00:19:22
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:19:23
Speaker 2: That's why we do our best to remind you. Anyway, go ahead. 317-480-1310. Jo, go ahead. Do you have a question?
00:19:33
Speaker 4: Yes, I do.
00:19:33
Speaker 7: How are you guys doing?
00:19:34
Speaker 2: Doing good.
00:19:35
Speaker 7: Thank you.
00:19:36
Speaker 4: Okay.
00:19:36
Speaker 7: I need to know if you have any information or who you get in touch with about people that may be having dog fights or dog readings.
00:19:50
Speaker 2: Say that again.
00:19:51
Speaker 7: Dog fights or dog breeding, and it's kind of like really, really getting to be disturbing because the dogs are barking, barking, barking, then they're not at night, you know, early morning, early morning, and then they're not.
00:20:04
Speaker 2: Have you called the police?
00:20:06
Speaker 7: I'm a little bit... I mean, nothing to call political. First of all, I live next door to them and stuff. And being senior and, you know, all that good stuff, it kind of, like, really, really reluctant me because I don't want them first to come to my house because I hear a lot of times they'll come to your house, and I don't need that. So is there any other way kind of, you know, you get in touch with them and they kind of keep it under wraps?
00:20:32
Speaker 2: You might try Crime Stoppers because it's all anonymous.
00:20:34
Speaker 10: But, I mean....
00:20:37
Speaker 2: Okay, so if the police or law enforcement comes to this particular residence, there's no way that anybody else in the vicinity could have reported. The only way that they would come would be to point the finger at you. Is that what you're saying?
00:20:51
Speaker 7: It could be because it's getting like this in the area I live in. They're either younger people, possibly Hispanic people that's causing the problem. And a lot of people that are older, like I am and stuff, are just kind of reluctant. And then it's kind of like a business, a business, a business around me. And, you know, they're not caring. So that's what got me a little shaky about it. But I have to get some rest sometime, and it's just going to get to be crazy. It's been happening now about a month, and it's really getting to be kind of crazy. Because I need rest. We do need all need rest. And then it's not that. It's loud music and stuff. So, you know... What did I do?
00:21:36
Speaker 2: Do you have a neighborhood association of any kind?
00:21:41
Speaker 7: Yeah, they suggest, why don't you just get cameras and more light? I've got plenty of light. I don't have the cameras, but, you know, I'm not trying to shoot it down before they get it out their mouth, but it's just. But let me ask you guys this, since I got you. When people are coming, I'm going to go from one to the other. Sorry about that, but I got you on line. I'll let you go as soon as I do let you go. But thank heaven for answering. I was saying yesterday, I wish I have open line. You guys got my wish.
00:22:08
Speaker 9: Okay.
00:22:09
Speaker 7: So I'm asking this. I asked you about the dogs. Now, can you either one of you guys in there tell me when people are having their music so, so loud. And that's disturbing at peace. To me, is there supposed to be an hour or two that they have to stop doing that?
00:22:28
Speaker 2: I'm sure there's a noise ordinance.
00:22:29
Speaker 3: I'm sure there is, too. I can't think of actually what it is right now.
00:22:33
Speaker 2: But the enforcement of it, again, has to circle back to law enforcement, to the police.
00:22:40
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:22:40
Speaker 7: So what do you guys got on your mind other than the police that I should call?
00:22:44
Speaker 2: You don't have anything at the time.
00:22:49
Speaker 7: You know, I laugh all the time, but I'm not laughing anymore.
00:22:51
Speaker 8: No, no, no.
00:22:52
Speaker 2: I'm not laughing. You know, police, neighborhood association. This is a really stupid question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Have you tried to talk to them?
00:23:02
Speaker 7: They're Hispanic, and they're men, and I just can't approach them like that. I told you, they got these dogs, too, and who knows, you know. And it's crazy because it's just crazy. And they're not there all the time. That's why I begin to notice something strange and odd is going on. Some people tell me, not people out there in the street, in the family, oh, well, you're just nervous and kind of whatever. Yeah, I'm shaky because, first of all, about the dogs, you and I both know dogs can jump a fence. They can get a loose, and they may not have them secured that much anyway. And see, if I go talk about police and stuff, somebody, they may get the hint that I'm the one, and then definitely they're going to retaliate toward me. I'm telling you now, I'm praying and trying my best to withstand it. But if it goes on much longer, I'm going to have to probably definitely try, like you said, to get somebody in my neighborhood association group to get on. Because I already called. Don't think I didn't. And they were kind of like, well, can you do this or can you do that? But we don't have our police coming to us like we used to. So it's kind of difficult, you know, to get that without going through the regular lines.
00:24:12
Speaker 3: Have other neighbors reported the same thing?
00:24:16
Speaker 7: No, but I just told you.
00:24:17
Speaker 9: You asked me.
00:24:18
Speaker 7: See, it's me because the person that's in back of me, I'll put it like that. We're in the Keystone area. And first of all, I don't have a, even without meaning certain things that people are worried about, I notice is people breaking in cars and people, there's something going on where they say there's a bunch of younger teenagers like coming through and they are fighting with each other and cussing and going on. No shooting, thank heaven, that we know. But there are times there is shooting. So I'm the one across the street that's the young guy and whoever. The other people, they just move. And the one beside me is the Hispanic people. And I got a store. And then at the corner, I got.
00:25:01
Speaker 4: Other little businesses.
00:25:02
Speaker 7: See what I'm talking about?
00:25:04
Speaker 3: Okay, yes.
00:25:05
Speaker 7: They're not available to do it or they don't bother them because, you know, they're just minding their business, they figure, you know.
00:25:14
Speaker 2: No, I mean, what district, what police district are you in?
00:25:20
Speaker 7: What's the one from Washington?
00:25:22
Speaker 12: Sorry about that issue.
00:25:23
Speaker 3: Washington Park.
00:25:24
Speaker 2: Washington. So that would be East District, I believe.
00:25:28
Speaker 7: East, East, East.
00:25:30
Speaker 2: East District?
00:25:31
Speaker 3: Okay.
00:25:31
Speaker 1: I believe so.
00:25:32
Speaker 2: Let's see if we can find the East District commander and maybe talk to the East District commander. Have them, you know, have a one-on-one with you as opposed to a report. Talk to them and let them know what your concerns and things of that nature are, and maybe they can come up with some kind of a resolution that doesn't point directly at you.
00:25:52
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:25:52
Speaker 10: Right, right.
00:25:53
Speaker 7: And that's what I'm going to mention definitely when I'm at my association group in the next week or so.
00:25:58
Speaker 3: That's a good idea.
00:26:01
Speaker 7: Let me see if I can. Thank you.
00:26:04
Speaker 2: Okay. I was just looking for their number for you.
00:26:06
Speaker 7: That's fine.
00:26:09
Speaker 2: East District phone number.
00:26:10
Speaker 3: Indianapolis does have a noise ordinance that I see. It's quiet hours or 10 p.m. until 7 a.m.
00:26:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, the number, are you ready?
00:26:20
Speaker 9: Yes.
00:26:20
Speaker 3: 317-327-6200.
00:26:20
Speaker 2: And ask to speak with a community liaison or a neighborhood liaison. I think they have people in roles like that where it's not necessarily a, A criminal thing, but something that, you know, you as a resident of that district are concerned about and want to get addressed in the safest possible way.
00:26:51
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:26:51
Speaker 7: Let me make sure you did say 317-327-6200.
00:26:54
Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
00:26:54
Speaker 9: Mm-hmm.
00:26:58
Speaker 7: Okay. And we did say something. Well, he's a North, I can ask them about the North. You said it's from 6th of what, the North?
00:27:05
Speaker 8: The.
00:27:06
Speaker 3: The ordinances from quiet hours are from 10 p.m. until 7 in the morning.
00:27:12
Speaker 4: Oh, really?
00:27:14
Speaker 3: From 10 p.m. until 7. 10 at night.
00:27:17
Speaker 7: 10 at night until.
00:27:19
Speaker 3: Right, 10 p.m. until 7 in the morning for Indianapolis.
00:27:23
Speaker 8: Okay.
00:27:23
Speaker 7: Like I said, I won't hold you for ever. But that's interesting. I'm glad I got it from you guys because these people are doing something. That's when you want to either have the dog fights or it's.
00:27:33
Speaker 9: A reason being gone.
00:27:35
Speaker 11: But you know what?
00:27:35
Speaker 7: I noticed something you said that really makes sense. I noticed when it happened last weekend that, sure enough, I had waked up about 4 because the dogs were barking, dog and barking. And I noticed by the time it was 5 o'clock, it was quiet enough to hear birds chirping.
00:27:54
Speaker 2: Yeah. And I just I got a text, too, says Tina from James.
00:27:59
Speaker 5: Oh, OK.
00:27:59
Speaker 3: All right.
00:28:00
Speaker 2: Have her call the IMPD non-emergency number and report the dogfighting ordeal. She can report to non-emergency anonymously. Yeah. And thank you, James. But I think her her situation is that anonymously reporting just a police call, a non-emergency call is going to point right at her. So she needs to talk.
00:28:19
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:28:19
Speaker 2: You need to talk to the police. somebody from that district, you need to have like a one, you know, so you all can work something out so that you're not faced with possible retribution because a simple call, I've done those non-emergency calls about things and they do, they drive straight up to your house.
00:28:34
Speaker 3: Right up to your house.
00:28:35
Speaker 2: And it, I know they have to, but you know, it's just a telltale sign that it was you.
00:28:41
Speaker 4: And that's dangerous.
00:28:41
Speaker 10: It's dangerous.
00:28:42
Speaker 11: Yeah.
00:28:43
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:28:43
Speaker 8: It's dangerous.
00:28:44
Speaker 2: Thank you so much.
00:28:45
Speaker 9: All right.
00:28:45
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:28:45
Speaker 2: Call the district and, and, you know, tell them you want to speak with someone about, um, you know, solving something that doesn't point to you.
00:28:53
Speaker 7: Well, at least you said what you needed to say, because that way when I talk to my president, I'll be able to say what I need to say to her, because they're supposed to be coming to us anyway, but they haven't lately, okay?
00:29:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, and if you pay Neighborhood Association dues, you should be getting your money's worth.
00:29:11
Speaker 7: We are longstanding members. Something's got to, you know, we don't want to get out of hand.
00:29:16
Speaker 4: Thank you.
00:29:16
Speaker 2: Okay, there you go. Thank you. Thank you, indeed. Thank you, James. Appreciate it. James is listening to us today. That's very nice. Anyway, let's go ahead and take a quick break and we'll be right back. After this, we're going to go to Julia Vaughn with Common Cause Indiana right after this.
00:29:40
Speaker 1: Let's get back to the conversation. It's Community Connection with Tina Cosby from the Praise Indy Indigo Studios on Praise AM 1310, 95.1 FM.
00:29:53
Speaker 2: And we're back. Joining us, our Executive Director of Common Cause Indiana and our Voter Education Contributor, Julia Vaughn. Back with us. Julia, how are you doing today?
00:30:03
Speaker 9: Well, I'm doing well. I really enjoyed that three-day weekend, so back fresh, ready to get at it.
00:30:09
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, good, good. I'm glad. You know, three-day weekends are really refreshing. Sometimes that's all it takes, three-day weekend.
00:30:17
Speaker 9: You need one now and then. Yeah, well, I will admit I did actually work a little bit in the afternoon. You know, it is such a busy election season that I did take the morning off that I needed it.
00:30:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, I got a disturbing call right before, I don't know if you were able to hear it, right before you came on. A listener whose son has disabilities, 20 years old, he requested an absentee ballot for him and his son, but doesn't think his son is registered to vote. He said, but they wouldn't have sent me a ballot if he wasn't registered, right? And I'm like, no, no, that's not the case. So he has to check his voter registration, but it's just a, you know, a reminder of how important it is to pay attention to the deadlines because when you get ready to vote or want to help someone else to vote, if everything's not in order, and Indiana has such short windows anyway, if everything's not in order, you know, there goes a vote. You know, there goes your ability and that other person's ability. So I'm hoping he has a good outcome.
00:31:19
Speaker 9: Oh, me too. That's why I know people, I sound like a broken record, check your registration at indianavoters.in.gov.
00:31:28
Speaker 7: But again.
00:31:29
Speaker 9: I've seen too many people fall through the cracks. Weird stuff happens, you know. So it's always better to be safe than sorry. So, yeah, I hope everything turns out OK. And and he gets to vote.
00:31:44
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:31:45
Speaker 2: I had another very quickly a letter from an email from a listener that said she got an unsolicited request for an absentee ballot. Well, a lot of unsolicited requests for absentee ballots are hitting the mailboxes lately. She apparently requested one, took it to the address on their 302 East Washington Street. The sign she got is no longer there. They've moved. The forwarding address was not valid where they gave her or they left the forwarding address. What should she do?
00:32:17
Speaker 9: Well, I would call the Marion County Election Board. This is in Marion County, I'm assuming.
00:32:25
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, yes.
00:32:26
Speaker 6: Yes.
00:32:27
Speaker 9: Yeah, I mean, you still have plenty of time to get that back. The good news is so, but it's disappointing that wrong information was given by somebody. And I think that's, you know, the state has been trying to really crack down on third parties who solicit applications, absentee applications from voters for this very reason. You know, I'm usually not in favor of the state trying to make things more restrictive. But in this case, if somebody is passing out bad information that could potentially disenfranchise somebody, then, you know, that's not good. So you still have time to contact the Marion County Election Board, ask them where you should return that absentee ballot. And the other thing to remember is here in Marion County, We are fortunate in that the county allows us to return absentee by mail ballots to the polling place on Election Day. Not all counties will do that. Some require you to go to the county courthouse. So any voter who gets in a crunch with their absentee ballot and you are getting close to, you know, the ballot has to be received by the county by 6 o'clock on November 3rd, Election Day. So if it's getting to be like less than a week before that date, I would seriously consider not putting it back in the mail where you can't be assured it will arrive on time, but instead make an arrangement to deliver it to the vote center.
00:34:06
Speaker 2: Yeah, she said in her email that she always hand delivers it. She always takes it to that address, which has apparently moved. So I will shoot her an email and give her the number of the Marion County Election Board, which, by the way, if anyone's listening, 317 and needs it, 317-327-5100. Marion County Election Board, 317-327-5100. So what did you want to get to today, Julia? What do you want to remind us of?
00:34:38
Speaker 9: Well, you know, lots of stuff going on, that's for sure. Let's start with something encouraging. I was at an event a week ago on the first day of early voting with the Marion County Clerk, and she said that early voting was up by about double, twice as many people showed up on the first day this year than had during our last off-year election. So that's great. You know, everybody is anticipating good turnout this year. And so far, it looks like that's what we're going to see. So that's in a state like Indiana, which has had voter turnout very low for far too long. Those are encouraging signs. You know, what we're hearing from a lot of people who are now, you know, getting their absentee ballots and starting to think about their choices is We've got a couple of public questions on the ballot this year, and the one that I think is really causing confusion is public question one. That's the one about bail. It would give judges the ability to deny bail for crimes far beyond what they are allowed now. The only two crimes that are eligible for denying a person bail or murder and treason. And so this would give judges discretion to deny bail for any crime. And we're concerned about that because we think it could be disproportionately applied, right? That communities of color would be far more impacted by this. And, you know, when somebody is locked up pre-trial, That means they can't go to work. That means that they risk losing their home. That means their family is put at risk. So we need to think very carefully before we give judges such wide discretion to deny bail for any offense. And so and then the question itself, as is often the case with these public questions, it's written in such a way that it's not obvious, right? And so a lot of people are kind of taken aback because number one, they weren't expecting this public question. As we talked about last week, we don't have a voter guide here in Indiana that's mailed to every registered voter in the state. So You can find sample ballots available, but not everybody has the time, opportunity, and know-how to seek that information out. So it's something that people need to carefully consider. And again, because we are concerned that communities of color would be disproportionately impacted by this change, we encourage everybody to take the time, look this up, and think about it. And there are also organizations that are actively educating voters, and we're working with several of those to offer a webinar Thursday evening. We will be on Zoom at 730. We would like to invite listeners to attend if you're interested. We'll have presentations from a group called Indiana Voices, Indiana Vote. also from the Validus Movement, which is made up of a lot of justice-impacted individuals, and then Countess Indiana will also present. So we want to make sure that people are well-educated about this issue before they're asked to decide, should we change the Indiana Constitution in such a significant way? So again, that is Thursday at 7.30 p.m. you can go to the Common Cause Indiana Facebook page and register. We do require people to register for our Zooms. But once you do that, you'll be sent a link and you'll be ready to join us Thursday night.
00:38:50
Speaker 2: Julia, back to the question one. The judge's decisions would be based on recommendations from the prosecutors, correct?
00:39:00
Speaker 9: I believe that's right. You know, judges already have a wide amount of latitude in terms of, you know, how they can protect the public in terms of, you know, restricting people's ability to be out in the community. So to change the Constitution really is a big, big change. And since judges already have a lot of discretion already, and as you say, prosecutors would be having a say in this as well. we're not sure this needs to be changed. And, you know, we have to look at who is operating prisons in our state. They're for-profit corporations. And these for-profit corporations make a lot of large campaign contributions to our elected officials. So I see this as something that is not necessitated by public safety or the public interest, but more a special interest that needs to keep prisons full. And this is one way to ensure that that happens. So when you follow the money of campaign contributions, where they come from, what are the interests, it does make one suspicious about why who are, who's motivation, who's the motivation behind this very fundamental change.
00:40:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, indeed. Um, and so the other question I had that a lot of people are talking about unsolicited request for absentee ballots being mailed to them. Um, And I think you were, was it you or someone was saying that you have to check the number to make sure that it's valid? What's the deal with that? And if I'm forgetting, just remind me, but what is the deal? Why are so many of those going out?
00:40:51
Speaker 9: Well, because people, you know, usually it's candidates or political parties or other interests that, you know, want to see people vote one way or the other. So That's who's usually soliciting these requests. And, you know, keep in mind that you don't have to respond to them if you don't want to. You can initiate an absentee ballot yourself. You can easily go online at indianavoters.in.gov and do it yourself. But It's being done by, you know, either candidates, political parties or other interested interests that want to see you voting. And typically they want to see you voting a certain way, you know, meaning Republican, Democrat or otherwise.
00:41:44
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:41:45
Speaker 10: Yeah.
00:41:45
Speaker 2: Just pay attention. I thought it was odd, too, because I thought you always had to request votes. you know, put in the request for whatever. And with them coming unsolicited, I think it's throwing a lot of people off.
00:42:00
Speaker 9: Well, yeah, and it has kind of a whiff of big brother. You know, what I was going to say, too, that sometimes these things are followed up. If you, you know, they see that you haven't requested an absentee ballot, then they'll follow up with, well, what's wrong with you? Aren't you planning to vote? Don't you know that we can see if you voted or not? And, you know, the voting rolls are public. And so, yes, people can do a public records request and see, you know, did you vote in the Republican or Democrat primary? Do you show up every year? What they can't show, though, is who you voted for. And so I'll always remember that. I really, really dislike these texts and emails that go out really close to Election Day that are somewhat threatening. And in fact, I was up in South Bend last week and somebody showed me one from two years ago that Governor Braun had texted out to people saying something like, you know, we'll know if you didn't support President Trump. You know, that's sort of threatening and intimating to people that we somehow know who.
00:43:17
Speaker 6: You voted for.
00:43:18
Speaker 9: Yeah, people can tell if you took a Republican or a Democrat ballot in a primary election, but we still have secret ballots or secret voting in this case. No thanks to the Indiana Recount Commission, some of who wanted to publicly identify voters by who they had voted for. in their absentee voting. But, you know, it is, I think, very disturbing to voters when they get any communication from a candidate or a political party sort of threatening and saying, you know, if you don't tow the party line, everyone will know about it. That is absolutely not the case. We've still got secret ballots in Indiana.
00:44:04
Speaker 2: The candidates that are sending material that is nondescript in terms of whether they're independent, libertarian, Democrat or Republican or anything else in between, what's your guidance to voters in terms of how to process that and what to do if they happen to get materials like that?
00:44:27
Speaker 9: Yeah, I encourage you to do your research. You know, just a quick Google search will help you identify most candidates. But You know, some people have made a political decision that they don't want to make it obvious which party they are part of. And, you know, that's a political decision that they have a right to make. You as a voter might think, well, I think they're lacking transparency. So that's something you might want to take into consideration. But I just encourage you to do a little bit of research. And again, If you simply want to know a candidate's political affiliation and a sample ballot, again, you can go to the Marion County website, which is a good source for sample ballots and things like that, and they will be identified on the ballot with a party designation.
00:45:24
Speaker 2: So in terms of early voting, which in Indianapolis and Marion County is right now– At the city county building only. Then other satellite sites are coming on board starting on the 24th. And then, of course, on November 3rd, more than 100 vote centers throughout the county. Once again, can you remind voters of what their rights are? And if anything happens out of the ordinary or that makes them uncomfortable, what is their course of action that they can take?
00:45:57
Speaker 9: Yeah, in terms of, you know, basic voting rights, again, I would encourage you to go to 866ourvote. org. It has extensive information about our voting rights and the rules and regulations here in Indiana. But remember, you've got to take your state or government, federal government issued ID with you. It has to have a photograph of you. It can be expired, but it can't be expired before the last federal election, which was November 4th, 2024. But it doesn't have to be up to date exactly. Your voter registration address doesn't have to match the address on your ID. That's often misunderstood as well. So Take your ID, but remember that the address doesn't have to match. Your name can be a little different. For example, if you registered as Bob Jones, but you go by Robert, you know, everyone understands that that name conforms. Another thing to remember is, you know, if the polls close at 6 p.m. and you're still in line, everybody in line at 6 o'clock gets to vote. You know, no matter if the line stretches around the block. So those are just a basic voting rights. But to get everything you need to know, go to 866-OUR-VOTE-CALL. You can call now during early voting as well as on Election Day. And also wanted to mention, you mentioned the first day of satellite early voting on October 24th. Common Cause Indiana and a bunch of organizations here in the city are working together to do marches to the polls. We will be marching to the polls at eight of the nine satellite locations on Saturday, October 24th. We will start at 1130, and these will be very short marches, about a block or so, We are heading up the Warren Township March to the Polls, so ours will just be about a block. We're going to be meeting a little bit before 1130 at the Warren Township School Administration Building right there just north of the Warren Township Government Center, which is the early voting location. So this is a great opportunity. You know, we've talked before about A lot of people are very anxious about voting this year. They worry about intimidation or people trying to make threats and things as they attempt to cast their ballot. And so we think that marches to the polls are just great opportunities for people to do this voting thing together, right? Let's all join in community together. And be joyful about voting. Be excited that we get the opportunity to have our say as Americans. And, you know, join together. and make it an exciting and happy occasion. Hopefully we'll get some gorgeous weather like we're having today. And we'll all march down the street. And this will serve to remind our neighbors today. that, hey, early voting's available now. It's not just at the city-county building. It's out here in all nine townships. So come on, people, let's come out and vote. So I would love to have folks join us again at the Warren Township Government Center, 1130 on that first Saturday, October 24th.
00:49:57
Speaker 2: We'll certainly remind folks as well, leading up to that. We have one caller that has a quick question. Go ahead, Mr. Russell.
00:50:05
Speaker 6: Yeah, Tina, you're asking good questions. You're taking two of mine away, so you're doing a good job. But one thing I want to, you know, it's so disappointing when you hear folks that didn't, that missed the deadline or whatever, you know. And, you know, voting is no charge except you do have to pay, you have to pay attention is as serious as watching your favorite team play a game. You have to pay that much attention because the opposition, they are serious. They are on the case. They are doing everything they can to keep you from doing the job that you need to do. So I just wanted to mention that. And then also, if you could go over again, if there are young people, I think you said last time that they had to be 16 years of age. they could still.
00:51:01
Speaker 2: Apply to be.
00:51:04
Speaker 6: Voted on to participate in the polls, and they get paid.
00:51:08
Speaker 2: Oh, participate in the polls. Okay, I see what you're saying, 16.
00:51:11
Speaker 6: Yeah, they get paid for that. So, you know, young people, I know they're interested because I've talked to some of them from time to time, and they want to participate. So I just wondered if you could go over what the procedure is if they're interested in working on the polls on Election Day.
00:51:28
Speaker 8: Okay.
00:51:29
Speaker 2: Thank you.
00:51:29
Speaker 8: Oh, yes.
00:51:30
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:51:31
Speaker 9: Thank you, Mr. Russell. Again, I was with the Marion County clerk last week, and I know they are still looking for poll workers. So thank you for the reminder. Yeah, you definitely, you can go to the Marion County election boards website and sign up there for college students. There are a few, or I'm sorry for high school students. There are a few more hoops. They've got to jump through. They're going to need permission from their school. So they'll need to get that checked through with the administration. They also need the permission of their parents. And then they need to have a certain grade point average. I believe it's a 3.0. But it is a great opportunity for young folks to earn some money and learn firsthand about the election process. And it's really, really necessary because the average age of a poll worker is up there. Most of them are senior citizens and they are aging out of this work. And so we need a new generation of them coming on. And so people starting in high school, it is just a great way to really engage them from before they can even participate as voters. And, you know, I think the odds of somebody who has worked as a poll worker, then when they turn 18, participating as a voter, it just increases that likelihood so much. So, yes, thank you so much for the reminder. And, you know, you need to sign up to work the polls pretty soon. They are starting training and all of that stuff. So important if that's something you want to do, let the county know and they can put you to work, no doubt. There's also opportunities not just to work at the polls, but also to count absentee ballots, you know, go down to the election services center, which is not in the city county building, but nearby. And they need tons of people, hundreds of people, because they have to have bipartisan boards. to go through and count absentee ballots. So there are opportunities, not just on election day and during early voting. There's also opportunities after to help count absentee ballots. So lots of ways for citizens to chip in. And, you know, Marion County needs more help than other counties simply because we are the largest county in the state.
00:54:07
Speaker 11: So, yeah.
00:54:09
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:54:10
Speaker 2: Well, and the minimum age is, as Mr. Russell indicated, I thought he was talking about to vote, but he's talking about to help and get paid, which is to be employed 16. Is that correct?
00:54:22
Speaker 8: That is correct. Mr.
00:54:23
Speaker 2: Russell, I stand corrected. Thank you. 16 indeed. Yeah, Julia, thank you. And again, 866-OUR-VOTE is the number. Is that correct?
00:54:36
Speaker 9: That's right. That's in numbers 866-687-8683. Again, you can call, ask questions about voting here in Indiana, whether early voting or on election day. And definitely, if you have any problems, if you show up and they tell you you're not on the voter rolls or any kinds of problems, please let the folks at the Election Protection Hotline know because not only can you get help in real time, but this is also a really valuable tool for us to be able to assess how voting is going across the state. Are there problems that are popping up in one county that are atypical? We can use this information after the fact to go to policymakers and say, look, we got a real problem here and you need to fix it in this way. So You know, this is a process that not only provides a great service to voters, but also can help us improve the process here in Indiana for voters generally.
00:55:48
Speaker 2: Indeed.
00:55:48
Speaker 4: All right, Julia.
00:55:49
Speaker 2: Thank you so much, as always. And we'll talk to you again next week.
00:55:53
Speaker 9: I'll be here.
00:55:54
Speaker 2: Okay. And we'll be back with more Community Connection after this.
00:56:09
Speaker 1: WTLC AM, W236 CR, Indianapolis. Broadcasting from the Praise Indy Indigo Studios. Discussing the issues that matter to you. It's Community Connection with Tina Cosby on Praise AM 1310, 95.1 FM. And we're back.
00:56:27
Speaker 2: Quick announcement, Eric.
00:56:28
Speaker 3: Yes, New Horizons Church presenting the Wealth and Wisdom Forum that's happening tonight. A community conversation on ownership, generational wealth, and legacies. Join AM 1310 and 95.1 FM tonight at 7, New Horizons Church for their live broadcast and engaging panel. It's going to be nice tonight.
00:56:47
Speaker 4: Amazing.
00:56:47
Speaker 3: It is amazing.
00:56:48
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:56:49
Speaker 3: They're located at 7315 East 75th Street.
00:56:54
Speaker 2: As I said yesterday, you can't have enough wisdom and wealth.
00:56:56
Speaker 6: I need it.
00:56:56
Speaker 2: Wealth and wisdom.
00:56:57
Speaker 3: Wealth and wisdom, I can take both. Load me up with it.
00:57:00
Speaker 7: Indeed.
00:57:01
Speaker 2: Well, joining us now is IMPD Chief Tanya Terry. It has been a couple of months since we've had a chance to visit with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. So, Chief Terry, we truly do appreciate you being here with us today. How are you doing?
00:57:15
Speaker 12: I'm good. It's a pleasure to join you this afternoon.
00:57:18
Speaker 2: Well, it's good to have you. Since we were, you know, the last couple of months, very quickly... A couple of things have a couple of issues have come up, including the flock cameras. I understand there were five police, five IMP officers formally charged last month. by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office for allegedly misusing the city's flock safety automated license plate readers. They've been recommended for termination, I understand. Can you give us an update on what the status is with those officers and what the department is planning to do as far as the continued use of those cameras? And I will say, Before you answer, IMPD was one of several, probably dozens, maybe hundreds, I don't know, of law enforcement departments around the country that discovered how these systems were being misused and abused by those in charge of them. So we were one of a number of them that were included in a national article and what have you. Five officers have since been charged. recommended for termination, what's the status of the officers and what is the status of the department's use or continued use of the cameras?
00:58:37
Speaker 12: Yes, certainly I recognize that, you know, any time our officers fall short of our expectations and our community's expectations, that is a real hit to our level of trust within the community, right?
00:58:53
Speaker 6: Mm-hmm.
00:58:54
Speaker 12: And that's very, very important to me as the chief of police and very important to the rest of the members of our agency that continue to show up day in and day out and do the right thing in the name of public service. So it's important to us that we address that kind of conduct very quickly and swiftly, which is exactly what we did in the case of these five officers. So the status of those cases is two of the officers that have been charged have resigned from the agency, and the other three, like you mentioned, have been recommended for termination, and that's through the merit process that we have in place. So those recommendations go to our merit board, and the merit board has the ultimate decision-making process. But that typically doesn't happen until after the conclusion of any criminal case that's still pending and working its way through the criminal justice system. And then as far as the agency's approach to the continued use of the ALPR technology, I would like to just say that before we became aware of the suspected misuse by some of our officers, we were already in the process of updating and strengthening our policy as it relates to ALPR technology and our use of it. So back in the spring, we began the process of refining, evaluating, and strengthening our policies as they relate to ALPRs. And then before we were able to implement the new policy, we discovered the misuse and began taking a deeper look at the agency-wide use, which was ultimately what culminated in the charges on five of the officers. So what we've done as far as the steps taken, I I truly do believe that this is a technology and a tool that does improve public safety in our community. And we're talking about misuse by five members of the agency. And we have hundreds of officers that have been using this technology and use the technology, over 600 officers. So I'm not in any way, shape or form minimizing misuse. the conduct of those few officers. But I do want to emphasize that there are hundreds of officers that are using the technology to ensure public safety in our community and to hold offenders accountable in our community. Just this past weekend, we had the tragic hit and run accident in which two young children were hit by a vehicle and the driver fled the scene. And that technology is was used to help quickly locate and apprehend the driver of that vehicle that fled that tragic accident in which a nine-year-old lost their life. And there are other multiple examples of the use of that technology for positive impact to the community, for community safety. And so for that reason, we intend to continue to use the technology, but also recognize the need for that technology strict oversight and strict guardrails.
01:02:26
Speaker 2: Yeah. Another thing over the last couple of months, public criticism of the council's soon-to-be-approved budget, $ 400 million going to IMPD. The majority of the budget every year typically goes toward public safety. But there have been a lot of community concerns about transparency and the budget and things of that nature. Your response to that since that has come up as well. What is your response to that?
01:02:57
Speaker 12: Well, absolutely. And I recognize that public safety is the largest chunk of the community's budget. But I also think that public safety is also a priority for the mayor and a priority for members of our community. We hear that over and over again that People want to feel safe and secure in their community. They want to have a safe community to live, work, and visit in. And that's what our agency has been aiming to provide. We're one part of that. We're a big part of that public safety in our community. But I'll just speak to that. Over the last five years, we've seen crime numbers continue to drop significantly. and I'll just give you some of the statistics that we have as of October 1st, our criminal homicides are down 27% over last year. And we're down over 50% over the last five years on criminal homicides. Our non-fatal shooting victims were down 46% over this time last year. Our violent crime overall with robberies, being down over 31% from last year, carjackings down 47% from last year. And it doesn't stop with violent crime. We've also reduced property crime by double digits. We're down 10% from this time last year with burglaries being down 19% and motor vehicle thefts down 9%. So, I mean, those are some incredible numbers. And especially when we talk about criminal homicide numbers being down to that extent, that represents lives. That represents people that are still here with us today that otherwise wouldn't have been. And I think that those are meaningful impacts, and it does. We're short over 350 officers, and the You know, with the labor agreements and the cost of living, everything is, all the costs are increasing, and the vast majority of our budget goes to our personnel costs.
01:05:14
Speaker 2: What about funding priorities in terms of diversity, more female, more minority recruitment for the department? What about that? There was some concern about that with the budget.
01:05:30
Speaker 12: Yeah, absolutely. Our goal is always to have an agency that is reflective of the community that we serve. And we know that as far as you mentioned females, we know our population is just over 50% female, yet our agency hovers around 14% representation of females on our agency. We actively try to recruit females and all minorities. our agency, because we certainly recognize the need and the need for that connection within our community, right? People want to see people that are like them respond when they call 911, right? We also know that females, when they work in law enforcement, have lower incidence of use of force. They tend to rely on de-escalation more. We also get fewer complaints So we know that women have a place in this profession, and we're actively trying to recruit them. We have an annual event where it just focuses on trying to speak to women in our community and share with them an inside look of women in policing. And they get to speak directly with other women on our agency and learn about their experiences in law enforcement and specifically with our department. We're also a part of that initiative that's been, you may have heard about it, the 30 by 30 initiative where we strive to have recruit classes that are 30% female by the year 2030. And I am happy to report that our last recruit class that I swore in, in August, our recruit class was female. represented by about 30% women in that class for the first time in a long time. And we had the largest recruit class that we've seen in the last four years in August.
01:07:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's fantastic. And it does go toward the, you know, often scrutinized internal diversity gap that occurs in departments like IMPD. So that's definitely good news. Well, we have a caller that has a question. But before that, I have a question. regarding transparency. And is there a difference between when the community demands transparency and when the department says we're being transparent? Are those two differing terms or are they pretty much the same? Does the community view it one way and the department view it another? And, you know, I just because we hear this a lot, you know, if we had more diversity or more this or whatever, we'd have more transparency, or if we had this or we had that. How do you see it? How do you define that, reconcile those two views?
01:08:23
Speaker 12: Well, I think that certainly it's a subjective term, as you mentioned. Any one individual can have their own interpretation or idea of what transparency means to them. And I think it's important for us as an agency to have those conversations with community because I think transparency is achieved through constant communication. And that communication can't only happen within our agency. That communication has to happen with our community, which is partly some of the reason that I go out into community meetings and I engage in programs like yours so that we can have those conversations. And I think that communication is what fosters transparency and it has to be a two-way street. So I think it certainly is subjective, but to me, transparency is It means that we share as much with the public and the community as we can about what's happening with IMPD. We also have a dedicated transparency website. I'm not sure if you were aware of that, but you can actually search IMPD transparency website.
01:09:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd like to share that with our listeners. Absolutely.
01:09:43
Speaker 7: Yes.
01:09:44
Speaker 12: That transparency website has use of force data. It has traffic statistics. It has information about our officer-involved shootings. It has information about our agency policies and training. It has crime statistic information on it, and it has a collection of critical incident videos that we've all posted in one place for our community because I think it's important for the community to stay informed about what is happening within IMPD.
01:10:12
Speaker 2: Well, speaking of what is happening, we've got several, a few more upcoming events, but I want to get to this quick caller, and then we'll get to the events because I know we have to get you out of here on time. So, Jeff, go ahead. Do you have a question for the chief?
01:10:26
Speaker 8: I do.
01:10:27
Speaker 11: First of all, congratulations, chief, on your recent promotion.
01:10:32
Speaker 10: Thank you. My question is, how confident are you in your vetting process? Because, obviously, these guys who are– Abusing the flock technology is problematic in itself.
01:10:46
Speaker 5: I mean, stalking your ex, wife, girlfriend, and their new boyfriends, I mean, you almost have to wonder what else are these guys capable of? I mean, in the past, we had allegations of child abuse, domestic violence. So how confident are you, as well as questionable, maybe even racially motivated shootings? So how confident are you in your betting service with some of these cops? Because it's almost like you're giving Ted Bundy a badge and a gun in some cases.
01:11:14
Speaker 12: Well, I would say that I'm confident in our vetting process. We have what I would consider one of the most thorough background processes of agencies throughout the state. We use medical doctors. We use psychologists. We use polygraphs. And it's a pretty strict process to get hired through the agency, where you have to pass a medical certificate psychological vetting to get hired. Now, a lot of the, if you're talking about the recent arrests, these officers have been on the agency for some time. And I'll just remind the public that police officers are human beings as well. And all humans, in my opinion, are imperfect. And our main priority is to hold people accountable when that is possible. appropriate, and that's exactly what we've done. So we don't tolerate misconduct and violations of law within the agency, and we do take appropriate action when that kind of conduct is discovered.
01:12:24
Speaker 2: Chief, speaking of which, domestic violence, domestic violence awareness, what's the department's stand on that this month in terms of what is the department going to do?
01:12:36
Speaker 7: Yeah, absolutely.
01:12:37
Speaker 12: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and I actually was at a church service this Sunday, and it was lovely to see the whole congregation wearing purple, which is the color of the month for Domestic Violence Awareness. And we certainly support Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We typically have initiatives during this month where we are... focusing on bringing domestic violence offenders into custody if they're outstanding or have outstanding warrants, and also just raising awareness of the resources that are available to those who may be experiencing domestic violence in their relationships. We have a multitude of resources for those. Anybody that wants to reach out to us, We have a victim support services unit that can help them make safety plans, can help them make reports, can help them get protective orders. And people need to take it very seriously. Even if you're the one experiencing it, maybe you know somebody who's experiencing it. Maybe you can contact us on their behalf or encourage them to reach out for help because we do not want to see anything escalate into violence.
01:13:58
Speaker 2: And the department's position on that within?
01:14:00
Speaker 12: Oh, it's the same as any other misconduct. We don't tolerate domestic abuse within the agency. Any allegations of misconduct will be thoroughly investigated. We have criminal investigators that investigate that just like we do any other alleged misconduct.
01:14:24
Speaker 2: And a couple of fun things, Halloween Open House and Faith in Blue, what are those?
01:14:32
Speaker 4: Yeah.
01:14:32
Speaker 12: So Faith in Blue, I just mentioned a little bit.
01:14:36
Speaker 9: Oh, yeah, you did.
01:14:37
Speaker 12: Okay. We had members of our agency throughout the city participate in or attend churches throughout the city that were participating in Faith in Blue weekend and open their doors to us to try to foster faith. further ongoing relationships and partnerships with our faith community. And I personally attended a lovely service at Purpose of Life, and we had members of the agency that attended services throughout the city this weekend. And officers in between their calls for service would stop by and try to engage with members of congregations as they came and went from their services throughout the weekend. It just the importance of the faith community in our community. And again, partnerships, because the police department, we know that we can't do things, we can't reduce crime, we can't keep the community safe without those partnerships. And that was just one initiative that we participated in to try to extend and deepen those partnerships in our community. And then we do have some other things going on. Obviously, this month is Halloween, and we have a couple of events coming up that people are invited to. Southwest District is hosting a Treats and Scoops event on October 20th between 4.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Culver's at 4701 Kentucky Avenue.
01:16:12
Speaker 4: Okay.
01:16:13
Speaker 12: East District is doing a trunk or treat at 3308 North Mithoffer on October 24th, and that's between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. And then on Halloween night, actually, our Southeast District does a phenomenal job of partnering with the community and officers that are going to put on their haunted house, at Southeast District between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on a Halloween night. If you haven't had a chance to go through that, it's really quite a spectacle, and they go all out, and it's a real fun time for all the kids in the neighborhood.
01:16:52
Speaker 2: That's fantastic. Chief, I want to circle back to two things quickly. The transparency website, with all the stats and things of that nature, what is it again, and how can I share that?
01:17:07
Speaker 12: I actually have a QR code in front of me, and I don't have the website, but if you search IMP transparency website, just on any search browser, it will come up.
01:17:18
Speaker 2: And the other thing regarding recruitment, I know that you're still, are you still what, 300 officers short?
01:17:24
Speaker 12: Yes, we're over 350 officers short, and we are actively recruiting, and we're recruiting good men and women to who have a heart to serve, who want to be the change that they want to see both within their agency and within their community, those who want to do something bigger than themselves and just make an impact on people, make a difference in people's lives each and every day. That's what you have an opportunity to do with IMPD, and you can go to joinimpd.indy.gov.
01:17:57
Speaker 2: And the 10-hour shifts, how are those working out? Is that covering some... I know that it has to be, what do you call it, compensated for the shortage with more overtime, extended shifts. How's that working out?
01:18:11
Speaker 12: So the 10-hour shift was something that was voted by the officers, and they voted to keep the 10-hour shift model after a short pilot that we did over last year. So that will be something that we'll keep moving forward.
01:18:24
Speaker 8: So.
01:18:27
Speaker 12: I think the shifts are going well. We're short-staffed regardless of what shift model that we adopt, but the 10-hour shifts are really modeled around having a peak number of officers on duty when our calls for service times are peaking as well. There's a lot of overlap with those shifts, and one of the big benefits that I see with the 10-hour shift model is is it gives officers more days off throughout the year, ultimately, which speaks to the overall officer wellness aspect of that. They have a time to rest and recharge between their work weeks. to a greater extent than they, that they would with the six hour, six days on, three days off work shift.
01:19:11
Speaker 2: Well, I appreciate you talking with the community. I appreciate you taking the call. I certainly appreciate you reminding us of the IMPD transparency page, because I want to look at that and I want to make sure that our listeners can look at that and, and have an idea of what's going on as well when, because that, that phrase comes out so often. And it's just important to, to try to figure out what's going on with that. And sometimes, you know, you find it in the numbers. It just all depends. But thank you so very much for coming on. And we look forward to speaking with you again. And did I forget anything?
01:19:49
Speaker 12: Oh, I think you covered it. Again, happy to come on the call periodically, take those calls from the community and answer anything that we're able to answer. Again, we can't do this without our community and without our partnerships, and that's something that we're going to continue to look to deepen as we move into 2027.
01:20:07
Speaker 6: Okay.
01:20:08
Speaker 2: Thank you, Chief. Appreciate it. We really appreciate you being here.
01:20:11
Speaker 5: All right.
01:20:11
Speaker 6: You too.
01:20:12
Speaker 12: Bye-bye.
01:20:13
Speaker 6: Bye-bye.
01:20:14
Speaker 2: And again, Chief Tanya Terry, Chief of IMPD, I really appreciated, and I do want to take a closer look at that transparency page because that is the That's the key word that we keep getting from and hearing from the community is that they're not having, there's no transparency.
01:20:36
Speaker 3: That's true. That's true.
01:20:37
Speaker 2: And she made an interesting point. And I, you know, there's a couple of questions I guess we could have asked, but her point was transparency. So I need to find out when it comes to transparency, what the police department's definition is and what the community's definition is.
01:20:53
Speaker 3: I'm looking at that page right now.
01:20:55
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:20:56
Speaker 3: It shows crashes, traffic stops, citations and warnings.
01:21:00
Speaker 4: Yeah.
01:21:01
Speaker 3: That kind of thing. And there's more information there, too.
01:21:03
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:21:03
Speaker 2: And I think that, you know, one I wonder if I want to dig deep, too, because sometimes the community feels as if transparency has to do with maybe how quickly video is released.
01:21:14
Speaker 3: Exactly.
01:21:15
Speaker 2: You know, is that not transparent or, you know, how. someone is charged, is that not transparent? So is there, you know, I want to look, is there something in the numbers that would explain a little bit more or not? And we can, you know, we can continue that conversation. I do hope to continue. I hope so. Samuel L. Jackson, go ahead.
01:21:36
Speaker 3: He had a question for the chief.
01:21:37
Speaker 2: Oh, we had, she, she had to be gone. In fact, I went five minutes over.
01:21:42
Speaker 3: Oh, okay.
01:21:43
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:21:43
Speaker 2: She only had, maybe he can ask, let me, let me go ahead.
01:21:48
Speaker 3: Sam, you there?
01:21:49
Speaker 8: Go ahead.
01:21:50
Speaker 11: Yeah, I'm right here, buddy. Yeah, my question was, I went after chief. Do they have a reserve IPS force like the military reserve, like Army Reserve, Marine Reserve?
01:22:03
Speaker 8: Do they have a reserve?
01:22:04
Speaker 2: IMPD Reserve Police Officers Force? Or police officers? That came up before, I think with the Sheriff's Department.
01:22:14
Speaker 9: Remember?
01:22:15
Speaker 2: Oh, my goodness. I cannot remember what that was, but I tell you what, I'll find out for you. I'll find out.
01:22:21
Speaker 8: OK. All right.
01:22:23
Speaker 2: All right. All right. Thank you. And and again, it's not that I do not understand the frustration. And that's why I asked the chief what the definition is for, you know, the police department's definition of transparency. And therein lies where maybe, as she said, we can get a reasonable conversation going, you know, a good conversation going about. What we see as transparency and what they see as we, they, meaning we, the community, and what the police department sees as transparency.
01:22:57
Speaker 3: Exactly.
01:22:58
Speaker 2: That's a good start. I think it's a good head start.
01:23:02
Speaker 3: I'd agree.
01:23:03
Speaker 2: Let's go to the phone.
01:23:05
Speaker 1: No, no, no.
01:23:06
Speaker 3: You want to take a break?
01:23:07
Speaker 2: We're going to take a break.
01:23:08
Speaker 3: Take a break.
01:23:09
Speaker 2: Because you're playing the music.
01:23:09
Speaker 3: Yeah, we'll come back after. Got to pay some bills.
01:23:11
Speaker 4: All right.
01:23:12
Speaker 2: Thank you.
01:23:19
Speaker 1: Let's get back to the conversation. It's Community Connection with Tina Cosby from the Praise Indie Indigo Studios on Praise.
01:23:28
Speaker 8: AM 1310, 95.1 FM.
01:23:32
Speaker 2: And we are back with Community Connection, and we are going to switch gears to the upcoming holiday season. And so much of it takes place on the Avenue. That's good. As per the tradition, yeah.
01:23:46
Speaker 3: That's very good, on the Avenue.
01:23:47
Speaker 2: Very good, indeed, on the Avenue. Here with us now are Tinashe Anders. She is Vice President of National Programming and Fund Development of the Matamorford Legacy Center. And Rodney Stepp, award-winning national recording artist, producer, and songwriter. Welcome to you both. How are you both today?
01:24:04
Speaker 12: Pretty good.
01:24:06
Speaker 2: Pretty good.
01:24:07
Speaker 9: You're great.
01:24:08
Speaker 2: It's great. It's great. It's great.
01:24:10
Speaker 7: I'm great. Yes, I received that.
01:24:12
Speaker 2: Yes, indeed.
01:24:13
Speaker 3: Okay, okay.
01:24:15
Speaker 2: So what's going on? What's going on or what's coming up? Let's go there.
01:24:18
Speaker 7: We're really excited for the holiday season at the Walker. We have something for the young folks as well as the grown folks coming up in November and December. And One of the things that we have coming up on Black Friday, Friday right after Thanksgiving, is a special holiday on the app screening of Disney's Princess and the Frog. And we're doing that in partnership with the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, specifically in relationship to their Princess Tiana's Joyful Celebration exhibit. And so we partnered up to be able to share more about Disney's first Black princess. And so this will be our opportunity to see where the exhibit came from because it is a spinoff of The Princess and the Frog. And so we're asking for everyone to bring their little ones out and celebrate the Day After Thanksgiving and just join us for this special screening, an opportunity to learn more in regards to the history as it relates to the Princess Tiana Joyful Celebration exhibit. that actually was done with the Children's Museum of Indianapolis and Walt Disney's Imagineering. And so we want to bring a little bit of that magic to the Walker during the holidays and invite families out to be able to check it out on noon on a Black Friday. And so tickets are under $ 10. There will be a lot of giveaways. There will be a lot of activities for children and families in general. But it will be a lot of fun and something to do that you can do inexpensively as you get ready for the holidays.
01:25:52
Speaker 2: How long has this holiday on the avenue been a tradition here in the city of Indianapolis?
01:25:59
Speaker 7: It's been a tradition. Well, I will say right after COVID, we've been going nonstop once we reopened with Rodney Steph as it relates to the holiday on the avenue review. We were doing that even before then over the years. Rodney, you could probably tell the folks better than I can in regards.
01:26:19
Speaker 11: To the history.
01:26:20
Speaker 8: Well, great. Good afternoon, Peter. How are you?
01:26:23
Speaker 2: I am well. How are you?
01:26:25
Speaker 3: How are you?
01:26:26
Speaker 8: You know, I am blessed, most definitely. Well, like I said, we began really December of 2021. This is our sixth annual Avenue Holiday on the Ave. And this year, of course, it's going to feature my old stomping grounds, the Spinner's Legacy Reviews. And, yeah, we've been doing this. You know, I had that vision to bring back the music on the avenue, and Walker was willing to partner with me on it, and we've been doing it since 2021. Wow.
01:27:01
Speaker 2: So tell everybody a little bit more about what it entails and what it's like, what it's about.
01:27:10
Speaker 8: Hello? Hello?
01:27:12
Speaker 7: The concert in itself, Ronnie, I don't know if you want to share more detail about what to expect as far as the music and the magic.
01:27:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, just what folks can look forward to.
01:27:21
Speaker 8: Oh, they can definitely look for, I think we accidentally muted.
01:27:25
Speaker 9: Oh, okay.
01:27:26
Speaker 8: Folks can definitely look for music from the Philadelphia Sound, you know, Tom Bell, Linda Creed, who were producers and writers for the Spinners. As you know, the Spinners were a part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. It's going to be exciting. My guys, my musicians, they're top. They're top notch. The shows that we have been doing have been selling out everywhere. And I think with myself and Alan Turk Burke, Turk was the musical director for the Spinners for 23 years. And, you know, I was with them for over six years. And so we have combined together with our experiences And we've put together one heck of a show, and the audience is definitely going to be thrilled. They better not miss this one.
01:28:20
Speaker 2: So what do people need? I mean, you say tickets are available now, or they go on? Maybe I missed that.
01:28:26
Speaker 8: Yeah, tickets are available now.
01:28:29
Speaker 2: Oh, now. Okay.
01:28:30
Speaker 8: We always start the ticket sales in July. We always have a little promotion, Christmas in July sale. And we discount the tickets in July. you know, so for those early birds. And we've got a few early birds. But I tell you, this show, this year, you don't want to miss. You didn't want to miss any of the shows, really. Yeah.
01:28:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, there's so much history with the Avenue and Christmas, you know, the Christmas tradition. You know, I don't know that, Eric, were you aware of Disney's first Black Princess?
01:29:07
Speaker 3: No, I was not. I was clueless on that. I don't know how I missed that.
01:29:13
Speaker 7: Princess Tiana, the film came out in 2011, but the exhibit that's happening at the Children's Museum that we're partnering with them on, just came out this year. And so the exhibit will be at the Children's Museum through January 4th. But what we're going to do is meet into the community and make sure our community is aware of the fact that there's this rare exhibit that's actually a national exhibit that they did in partnership with the Walt Disney Imagineering. So it's starting in Indianapolis, and then it's going to travel throughout the world after this. So this is the first glimpse and the first step in regards to the exhibit being um displayed and like i said we're going to be leaning into the princess and the frog film to give them the the backstory of what what this history is all about as it relates to the first black princess so you know bring out all of your all of the little ones they can come as princesses they can come as princesses and then um enjoy and understand you know that the whole story behind it and like i said the magic for during the holidays and so We have that happening at noon on Black Friday. Or you can come check out the film before you go shopping, before you hit the lighting of the Christmas trees and.
01:30:24
Speaker 4: All the things.
01:30:24
Speaker 7: And so we're excited about that. And then, like Rodney said, we have something for the grown folks on that Saturday, December 5th, with the Spinner's Legacy Review. And all of the details are available at the MadamWalkerLegacyCenter.com. On our website, MadamLegacyCenter.com. MadamWalkerLegacyCenter.com. And the tickets are also available at the box office for the Spinner's Legacy Review.
01:30:51
Speaker 2: Okay, well, it's going to be a great time. Sounds like it's going to be very nice.
01:30:56
Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah. I don't know if you know, Tina, also, you know, I first played the, it was the Recorder's Midnight Christmas Show back in the day. And that's one of the reasons I wanted to bring this back. I was 13 years old the first time I graced the stage at the Madam Walker. 13?
01:31:15
Speaker 3: Come on.
01:31:16
Speaker 8: I was 13. Wow. With a band called The Diplomats. We were there, and the sensation that the guys were from Lockfield. And, you know, designated productions and a whole lot of, you know, a lot of old acts. So, you know, I wanted to get this music back into the neighborhood, and especially after what I went through with COVID in 2020, God put me on a mission to kind of, you know, just.
01:31:45
Speaker 2: Bring the community back together. Yeah, COVID almost took you out of here. I remember you had one heck of a battle. And we're so grateful. Yeah, so grateful that you are here with us. I don't know that everybody knows that story, but you're almost a miracle. Well, I guess you would call it a miracle.
01:32:03
Speaker 8: It is a miracle. It really is. It really is. And, uh, yeah. So, you know, we want to give back each and every year and we thank all of you for the support and all of the fans that have been coming out, uh, because you've really supported, uh, you know, the holiday on the app. And we're going to continue. We're going to keep it going.
01:32:24
Speaker 4: All right.
01:32:24
Speaker 8: We need you to keep buying those tickets and coming out.
01:32:27
Speaker 3: Okay.
01:32:29
Speaker 2: All righty. So we'll give the website once more so the folks can get started on those tickets and reserve your seats. What's the website again?
01:32:39
Speaker 4: All right.
01:32:40
Speaker 3: Thank you.
01:32:40
Speaker 12: Thank you all so much.
01:32:41
Speaker 7: It's going to be a sellout again. Rodney sells out every year.
01:32:44
Speaker 2: Okay.
01:32:45
Speaker 1: Okay.
01:32:45
Speaker 3: Count on it.
01:32:47
Speaker 2: Count on it. Count on it. Thank you so very much. Appreciate it. And all the best.
01:32:51
Speaker 8: All right.
01:32:51
Speaker 6: Yeah.
01:32:52
Speaker 8: Thank you.
01:32:53
Speaker 6: Thank you.
01:32:53
Speaker 2: I told you the holiday season.
01:32:55
Speaker 3: I told you.
01:32:55
Speaker 6: You said it.
01:32:56
Speaker 3: You said it. You said the holiday season.
01:32:58
Speaker 2: Ready or not, here it comes.
01:33:00
Speaker 3: Ready now.
01:33:00
Speaker 4: Yep. Indeed.
01:33:01
Speaker 1: Indeed.
01:33:02
Speaker 4: Indeed.
01:33:02
Speaker 3: It is here.
01:33:04
Speaker 2: It is indeed here. So we have... We have a lot of stuff, a lot more stuff still coming up, including tomorrow where we're going to have, oh, this guy, it's a conversation about, have you ever heard of Jason Reynolds? I have. Yeah. African-American author who has just been doing some phenomenal, excuse me, some phenomenal work. In fact, I bought one of his books, Spider-Man, Miles Morales. I bought one of those books for my grandson, but he's just phenomenal. But anyway, he's coming here.
01:33:46
Speaker 3: Oh, he's going to be here.
01:33:47
Speaker 2: He's going to be here in Indianapolis. Yeah, he's going to be here. So we got that. We got that.
01:33:53
Speaker 4: That's nice.
01:33:54
Speaker 3: Didn't know that.
01:33:55
Speaker 2: Surprise. Surprise indeed. Surprise indeed. So 317-480-1310. 317-480-1310. We have, let's see. Oh, we have. Oh, there, you know, a little reaction to the chief's interview, which, you know, we knew there was going to be.
01:34:18
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:34:18
Speaker 3: Okay. You can see. Yeah. Some of the comments.
01:34:21
Speaker 2: Now, one, now let's ask. So this is a, I can't read all that. Marion said, okay, now let's not act sublime. We know that transparency means being truthful, open, and honest with interactions within the community. So now you want to split hairs, truthful and honest. Well, it's not a matter of splitting hairs. I want to know, yeah, to the number of people, that's exactly what transparency means.
01:34:46
Speaker 3: Yeah.
01:34:46
Speaker 2: To those in charge, how do you define it?
01:34:49
Speaker 3: How do they define it?
01:34:50
Speaker 2: That's all I was saying. I'm not splitting hairs. I want to know. Yes, that is 100% correct. If I'm asking, if somebody's asking me about transparency, I'm going to think it means being truthful, open and honest with interactions within the community. So this is my expectation of transparency. So if I'm taking that to someone else, like the department, the police department, this is what I'm saying. I want transparency.
01:35:17
Speaker 9: Yeah.
01:35:17
Speaker 3: Should be the same, really. It really should, but it's not. But it should be the same.
01:35:22
Speaker 2: But it's not. So, you know, good comment. Thank you. Great comment. Again, not splitting hairs, but great comment on that. So we can read. There's a whole lot more. But the fact of the matter is, wow, that's a difficult thing, especially because it's emotional. Typically, it involves the serious injury or death. You know, this is if we could say that this is brand new, this has been since the existence of police community relations.
01:35:57
Speaker 3: It certainly has. I think so.
01:35:59
Speaker 2: I believe so. And some have done it better than others. Some have been better than others. So we just have to keep having the conversation. But I did want to I did want to find out from her, you know, from Chief Terry, because Chief Terry, you know, may may go about it a different way than perhaps. Former Chief Taylor, former Chief Bailey, former Chief Roach and some of the others. They all approach it differently. But I do like the fact that the community stays involved.
01:36:25
Speaker 3: Absolutely.
01:36:26
Speaker 2: That the community continues to make demands and that the community lets the department know that they're there.
01:36:32
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:36:32
Speaker 3: So holding the feet to the fire.
01:36:34
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:36:34
Speaker 4: Yeah.
01:36:35
Speaker 2: I mean, that's that's what we're supposed to do. So appreciate the comment. Thank you. Very much. Good comment.
01:36:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, that transparency hub. I can see crime stats, that kind of thing.
01:36:43
Speaker 8: Yeah.
01:36:43
Speaker 3: I see all of that.
01:36:44
Speaker 2: And maybe that's how some people just, you know, but it's not. I mean, maybe that's what it means to this particular side, but to the other side.
01:36:52
Speaker 3: You know, it means something different. Something different, yeah.
01:36:55
Speaker 2: But we wouldn't know that unless we talked.
01:36:57
Speaker 3: That's true.
01:36:58
Speaker 2: We wouldn't know that. Also coming up this week, we have, oh, well, we got Danny, of course.
01:37:07
Speaker 3: Danny, who loves the Colts and the fear.
01:37:09
Speaker 2: Loves the Colts. But did he pick the Colts?
01:37:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, he said he did. I think he picked the Colts to win. Yeah, he picked them to beat the Steelers.
01:37:14
Speaker 2: He didn't listen. He should have talked to me first, as I would have told him.
01:37:18
Speaker 3: We're not beating the Steelers in more than a decade.
01:37:20
Speaker 2: We're going to have two state lawmakers, a state representative, State Representative Cherish Pryor, and then we're going to have State Senator Greg Taylor here on the 15th. So if you all want to prepare your questions, comments, and what have you for both of them on the 15th, they're going to be talking about this question one that we keep talking about. It keeps coming up. And you got to know, especially as we get closer and closer to Election Day, closer and closer to the expansion of the satellite locations in Marion County, closer and closer to all of that, everything, November 3rd, you need to know what you're being asked on that ballot, especially with question one. You need to know that it is worded in such a way, somewhat of a word salad, I guess.
01:38:13
Speaker 3: Yeah, word salad.
01:38:16
Speaker 2: That will confuse you. It can confuse you. And had I not known what it was about, I probably would have been confused. And a lot of times if something is too complicated, you just, oh, whatever. You just say, you do.
01:38:27
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's true, you do.
01:38:29
Speaker 2: Just to get through it.
01:38:30
Speaker 8: It.
01:38:30
Speaker 3: Right, I'm done or I'll skip this, skip that. Okay, I've done my thing.
01:38:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is one question that you cannot just rush through. And we are doing our level best to interpret it for you, to break it down for you, to let you know not to fall into a trap of just saying, okay, I want to be done with it. I just want to move on to the other choices. You can't in this one because this is something that could very possibly look to change the Constitution.
01:38:58
Speaker 3: Certainly could.
01:38:59
Speaker 2: So, and again, according to, well, you know what? We were telling everybody that the, we're trying, have we got that on our website yet?
01:39:10
Speaker 3: I don't, I'm going to have to ask and see. I haven't heard, I haven't heard anything so far. I'll have to check again and see.
01:39:15
Speaker 12: Yeah.
01:39:16
Speaker 2: A proposed amendment to Article 1, Section 17 of the— this is from the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, which, as they say a lot of times on Sunday, you hear people say, make it plain, make it plain. The IBLC has made it plain. The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus has made it plain for you. It explains what is this? What is question one? It is a proposed amendment to Article 117, Section 17 of the Indiana Constitution that would expand when a person can be denied bail. If approved by voters, it changes who can be held in jail without the option of release before trial. The current law, only people charged with murder or treason can be denied bail if proof is evident or the presumption strong. That's how it is right now. They're asking you, can we change or amend the Indiana state constitution to read that anyone can be denied bail? Not just murderers or treasonous suspects, murderers or treasonous suspects. people charged with murder or treason. So it goes on to say the proposed change would allow denial of bail for any offense if the proof is evident or the presumption is strong and the state proves by clear and convincing evidence that no release conditions will reasonably protect the safety of any person or the community. The potential community impact, more people could be held in jail before trial or Even for nonviolent offenses, black and marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by pretrial detention. So it's already bad. The landscape is already bad. And if this passes, it's going to be worse.
01:41:06
Speaker 3: It's going to be worse.
01:41:09
Speaker 2: They're going to explain it. They're going to take it step by step for you. Yes, yes, it's needed.
01:41:14
Speaker 3: I meant to ask, Julia, are there any states that actually explain this?
01:41:19
Speaker 2: Well, she was talking about the voter guides.
01:41:22
Speaker 3: Yeah, the voter guides.
01:41:22
Speaker 2: And so I wonder if maybe they're explained in the voter guides. Other states have voter guides that they mail out on the regular. I think she said California was one of them.
01:41:30
Speaker 3: Interesting. But we don't. Indiana does not.
01:41:32
Speaker 2: Indiana does not. Or was it Arizona? Anyway, someplace out west.
01:41:35
Speaker 3: I just wondered how many other states had voter guides, and I know Indiana does not. Just out of curiosity.
01:41:42
Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah.
01:41:43
Speaker 2: But there's that. Anyway, so they're coming on Thursday. They're coming on Thursday, and I'll tell you the exact time as well. They're coming on Thursday at 1.30. That's Representative Cherish Pryor and State Senator Greg Taylor, and they are gladly going to be here in studio to sit down and go through all of this for all of you as you vote or prior to voting. So there's going to be that. Let's see, what else do we... And then on Friday... at 1.30, we are going to have two academics from the University of Indiana, UND, yeah. And they're going to go through, they're going to be kind of a human voter guide as well. And each office, because a lot of times people say, well, I don't know what this office is and this office is, and I don't know if I should Say this or that or what have you. They're going to go through those.
01:42:39
Speaker 8: Good.
01:42:39
Speaker 3: That'll be good because most people don't. Most people don't know.
01:42:42
Speaker 2: And again, the lines will be open for that as well. So we're trying to get to as much as possible. I know that voting, even though it's, as Julia reported, it's heavy twice as much as it is or has been over the same period on the first day for early voting and city-county building, a lot of folks just simply haven't done it yet.
01:42:58
Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
01:43:00
Speaker 2: You know, so we're trying to get it all in before you make those final choices so that at least, you know, we're doing our best to get as many folks in here to help you as well. And hopefully. our first caller of the day had a happy ending to his call as well. So we thank you. We thank you. We thank you. That's all the time that we have for right now, though. I do believe, unless did we forget anything?
01:43:25
Speaker 3: Um, I think we got everything.
01:43:27
Speaker 8: Okay.
01:43:28
Speaker 3: Let me look at this. Just, yeah, we got everything.
01:43:30
Speaker 2: We got everything.
01:43:30
Speaker 3: We covered everything.
01:43:31
Speaker 8: Okay.
01:43:31
Speaker 4: Okay.
01:43:32
Speaker 2: Until tomorrow.
01:43:33
Speaker 3: Until tomorrow.
01:43:34
Speaker 2: Everything until tomorrow.
01:43:35
Speaker 3: Do it again tomorrow.
01:43:36
Speaker 4: Indeed.
01:43:36
Speaker 1: Indeed.
01:43:37
Speaker 2: We will do this all over again tomorrow. So we will talk with you soon. Willie Moore Jr. on the radio is up next. Thank you all for listening as always. Our website is praiseindy.com. For Eric, Garnie, and myself, this is Community Connection.
