BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- As a new school year begins in Bloomington, the city's mayor is promoting new security changes coming to downtown.
Among those changes: six new cameras going up over the next month in multiple locations.
Mayor John Hamilton says citizens have brought concerns to his doorstep about crime and panhandling in some city parks and along popular running trails. But, he stressed, Bloomington remains a safe place to live.
"Bloomington is a very safe city," Hamilton said. "It's a great city, diverse city."
To make sure that remains true, the city is implementing two pilot programs. One is the six new cameras, which will go up at locations including People's Park, Seminary Park and along the B-Line Trail.
The other is a new PR campaign for students to encourage them to turn down requests from panhandlers. They'll instead be encouraged to make charitable donations to programs and services designed to help homeless people get off the street.
The changes come on the heels of several attacks reported by women on Bloomington's trails and walking paths.
READ MORE | Second woman this month reports attack on Bloomington walking path
On Tuesday morning, a woman called police after she says she was attacked by a man in a blue ski mask while walking near the YMCA on the city's south side.
Earlier this month, another woman called 911, saying she'd been assaulted while running on Clear Creek Trail.
Bloomington police also remain on the lookout for a suspected serial flasher accused of exposing himself and chasing numerous women near IU's campus.
Click the police composite of the suspect below to read more about the previous attacks:
As of Tuesday night, no arrests had been made in any of those cases. Anyone with information about any of the reported attacks is urged to contact Bloomington police or Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.
