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Police chief reports drop in violent crime and rise in community policing; department adds social‑work referrals and new tech
Summary
Chief Marty Corley told the council that 2024 saw a 17% overall crime decrease with sharp drops in nonfatal shootings and shots‑fired calls; calls for service increased and the department expanded use of camera and sensor technology and a social‑work referral program.
Michigan City Police Chief Marty Corley on Tuesday presented the department’s 2024 crime statistics and described several operational changes the department credits with recent reductions in violent crime.
The numbers: Corley said the department recorded 41,533 calls for service in 2024 (an 8.8% increase year‑over‑year) and a roughly 17% overall decrease in crime over multiple years of comparison. He highlighted a 36.8% reduction in combined violent‑crime measures (nonfatal shootings, attempted murder and murder) and reported that shots‑fired calls fell about 16.9%.
Tactics and technology: Corley attributed improvements to targeted units and technology. The department increased traffic stops (up about 20%), expanded community‑policing outreach (up nearly 26%) and stepped up use of license‑plate and camera analytics through Flock and shot‑detection systems. Firearms seized rose modestly to 168 in 2024, Corley said.
Social‑work referrals and mental‑health response Corley described the role of the department’s embedded social‑work coordinator, Jocelyn (social worker), who handled hundreds of referrals in 2024. He said roughly 60% of her referrals came from patrol officers and that mental‑health cases comprised the largest referral category; from April–December 2024 she received 386 referrals and made contact in 368 cases.
Community work and awards Corley detailed community outreach programs (youth leadership and citizen police academies, National Night Out, Shop with a Cop) and said the department partnered with more than 52 local organizations in 2024. He also cited internal awards and grants, including a Unity Foundation grant for training bags and a federal grant to add about 30 Flock cameras to the city’s network.
Public questions & next steps Council members asked about Narcan costs and availability, and Corley said he would provide cost details by email. He said Narcan is carried and accounted for on department vehicles and used when crews respond to overdoses. Corley announced upcoming CPR and first‑aid classes organized with the Salvation Army and the YMCA and reiterated the department’s outreach schedule for spring and summer events.
Ending: Chief Corley asked residents and council members to view the full crime report available at the police station and on the department’s new website; he said the department will continue expanding community engagement and technology use to reduce violent crime and aid investigations.
