Portage Fire and Police Departments Host Bicycle Rodeo

Kids showed up 30 minutes early Saturday morning for Portage’s annual Bicycle Rodeo, hosted by the Portage Fire and Police departments.

Angela Rosales, who brought her two boys Christian, 8, and Alex, 6, said, “We’ve been counting down the days until the bike safety day. They wouldn’t let me forget! And of course, I want my kids to be safe and to learn the rules of the road.”

The Willowcreek Middle School parking lot was transformed into a simulated city, complete with road signs, obstacle courses, pedestrian crossings, railroad crossings, and one-way streets. Firefighters manned the course, giving guidance and safety tips in key areas.

One highlight of the course was the Portage Police’s radar trailer, which showed the kids how fast they were riding. As kids smiled and pumped their pedals as hard as they could, some reached 15 miles an hour, highlighting the need for helmets.

Continue reading this story at The Times.

Porter County Sheriff to Display Flag Created by Purdue Calumet Students

Leaders of the Criminal Justice Club at Purdue University Calumet unfurled their new club flag for display Thursday at the Porter County Jail.

Club members Tom Donovan and Valyncia Gogins collaborated on the flag design.

"I had ideas of what would best represent the Criminal Justice Club, but I’m not tech savvy enough to handle the design on my own,” said Gogins. “But when I saw Tom’s design, I thought, 'That’s what I was thinking, except with a few changes.’”

The two students continued improving their flag design, and earlier this semester the Criminal Justice Club members voted Donovan and Gogins' flag to be the best out of numerous submissions.

“The purpose for the Criminal Justice Club is to help students get to know one another, to know the criminal justice community in our area, and to become involved in community service," said Nicki Ali Jackson, club sponsor and associate professor of criminal justice. “This flag shows how proud we are of our organization and links us into criminal justice system.”

Continue reading at The Times.

Valparaiso Police Memorial

I'm now writing part-time at the Northwest Indiana Times.  Basically, I'm just filling in when their normal writers can't make it to an event.  Here is my first article with them.  Valparaiso is about 10 miles south of Chesterton, where I live.

The men and women who keep Valparaiso safe lined up Wednesday morning to be honored and to remember their fellow officers who have fallen in the line of duty.

Chief Michael Brickner opened the Valparaiso Police Department's annual memorial service with an account of Ranger Margaret Anderson, who was shot and killed at Mount Rainer National Park during a routine traffic stop on Jan. 1, 2012. She was the first of 120 law enforcement officers killed in the United States in the line of duty in 2012.

To read the rest of the article, please click here.

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