Sheriff: More officers to hit Gary streets amid violence

GARY, Ind. (AP) – Lake County Sheriff John Buncich says more officers will patrol streets in Gary following a recent rise in the number of homicides.

The (Munster) Times reports the Lake County Council voted Tuesday to give the sheriff’s department $200,000 to pay officers overtime for the added police presence. Buncich says the department would have at least 10 officers “focusing on the hotspots and the peak times.”

Police say there have been 38 homicides in Gary so far this year. Bunich says the rise in violence has been caused by “street gangs warring over drugs.”

Buncich says he hopes to maintain the added shifts for officers through this year. Gary Police Chief Larry McKinley has said his department has put more officers on city streets.