INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — People who live in the Maple Glen housing subdivision on the Indianapolis southeast side are organizing a neighborhood watch following a third shooting targeting the same home in just one month.
WATCH FULL STORY BELOW
Subdivision resident, Cheryl Moore, said, “Neighborhood watch at this time; maybe in the future, it can die away, but right now, I believe it's important to have it."
Resident Jeff Garraux is one of the people leading the effort to build stronger community ties and increase security. After repeated gunfire shook the neighborhood, neighbors say action is necessary now more than ever.
Garraux outlined plans for weekly neighborhood walks to engage residents and reconnect a community where neighbors often do not know one another well. “Maybe, weekly neighborhood walks to kind of get people engaged, so to speak, and touch base. You don't get to know your neighbors like you did way, way, way back, so it's going to be a good way for people to stand together and get together and do some good things."
To improve communication, Garraux created an email address for residents to submit concerns, reports of suspicious activity, and details about the shootings. He is also building a website to keep neighbors informed. Plans call for neighborhood watch signs to be installed throughout the area.
Garraux said, “One of the things, we're going to start the process just to at least get some signs in the neighborhood stating this is neighborhood watch, and hopefully we can steer some of the negative influences away from here."
He added that he has already passed along tips. “I've taken some information from neighbors to the police that they didn't want to do, so hopefully it'll just keep things rolling the right way."
Garraux said he believes unity is the key to making Maple Glen safer. “Everybody wants their neighborhood to be safe, and so I think we're all going to stick together and we'll gradually get more people involved, too."
Moore said she wants to see a stronger police presence in the neighborhood. “It doesn't seem that it's getting better. It seems like the problem is getting worser instead of better. There's not a way to reach out to your neighbors. Your neighbors are not here to be your enemies; we're not here to push anybody out. We want to make sure that we have a connection."
As WRTV has reported, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers from the southeast district attended a community meeting Tuesday night to hear residents' concerns. IMPD confirmed that at least three people, including one juvenile, were arrested in connection with drive-by style shootings on the southeast side. Investigators were working to identify additional suspects and have not confirmed whether similar shootings in nearby neighborhoods are connected.
Officer Drew Brown with the IMPD public information division said, “When you hear about an incident, if you find any evidence related to this — whether it's a possible fragment of a bullet, shell casing, or maybe even saw a vehicle or person that was out of place that seem like they can be connected to some sort of criminal activity related to these investigations — we want to hear from you."
Anyone with information on the southeast side shootings was asked to contact IMPD or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana.
