Survey: Many Hoosiers Don't Feel Safe In Downtown Indy

INDIANAPOLIS -- Results of a survey released on Wednesday indicate that Hoosiers don't feel safe in downtown Indianapolis.

Last October, researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis surveyed hundreds of people who work or live downtown.

Only 40 percent of respondents said they felt safe downtown, a 10 percent drop from 2004 and a 4 percent drop from 2005, 6News' Ericka Flye reported.

As a parking attendant, Joe Bloom spends much of his time working on the streets of downtown. Bloom and Evan Green, who lives downtown, said they haven't had any reason to feel threatened.

"You see some homeless people on the streets. For the most part, they're pretty nice," Green said. "I've never been bothered by anybody or ever been threatened living downtown."

Yao-Yi Fu coordinated the study for IUPUI. She said the issues are more prevalent after dark.

"We did break it down to the daytime and after dark, and during the daytime, the result was OK," Fu said.

Jacki Powers, who works downtown at night, said she takes precautions when she leaves her job.

"My strategy to be careful is to make sure that I walk routes where there are a lot of people all the time," Powers said.

At Ike and Jonesy's bar, manager Doc Weesner said people pack in, feel safe and come downtown to leave their worries behind.

"You get that many people around milling around, you're going to have occasional trouble. But I don't think it's anything that … isn't being handled now," Weesner said.

Other than thefts from cars and other minor issues, police officers 6News spoke with that work downtown said they rarely handle serious crimes.

The survey was given during three weeks in October when Indianapolis' crime rate was soaring. Some believe respondent's negative perception of safety downtown was because they didn't feel safe in other areas of the city.