(La Porte County, IN) - Both mayors in La Porte County said public safety is already in jeopardy from workforce shortages that can be solved with an increase in the local income tax.

 

At last night’s La Porte County Council meeting, La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody said there were not enough officers to immediately go after a rape suspect right after the crime was reported Saturday night in La Porte.

 

Dermody said police had an idea where the suspect might have fled, but there weren’t enough available officers here to go out and look for the alleged rapist. No officers were available from the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office or the Michigan City Police Department, busy handling calls in their jurisdiction.

 

“We need to start thinking about how to keep the community safe,” Dermody said.

Michigan City Mayor Duane Parry said he would like to use some of the additional income tax revenue to hire more police officers. Parry wants to restore the department from a projected 73 officers soon to the 92 officers who once worked there several years ago. He said there’s a need to address more crime and what he described as a decline in the quality of humankind nationwide.

 

Parry also voiced alarm over three reports of women in Michigan City being held at knifepoint by their partner or former partner in one day.

 

“American values, traditional values are dying. They’re disappearing, and we got to do something about that, and this is the way to do something about that,” Parry said.

Parry said a higher income tax would replace about one-third of the $9 million his city is losing annually from statewide reductions in property taxes.  

 

By a 6 to 1 vote, the council gave preliminary approval to raise the local income tax from .95-percent to 1.45 percent. A final vote by the council is set for April 25.