READ IT: Sheriff doesn’t want to arrest criminals — suggests keeping them in drug infested motel

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — REAL News Michiana has obtained a letter sent by Sheriff Bill Redman advocating for criminals to not be arrested and to instead be housed in a motel where crime and drugs run rampant. This letter comes in defense of a failed homeless initiative called Motels 4 Now that has been under fire in recent weeks.

“These individuals would otherwise be wandering the streets of St. Joseph County or be housed at the St. Joseph County Jail.” Redman stated in his letter, letting it be known that he does not want to arrest criminals in the community. “Being held in our jail is not the solution!”

Subscribers can read the full letter below.

Earlier this month, RNM published a story regarding the immense amount of crime occuring at the Motels 4 Now location.

A public records request by REAL News Michiana discovered police were called to the Motels 4 Now program more than 1,000 times since opening in 2020. Police responded 250 times from December of 2021 through December of 2022. The calls include everything from stabbings to overdoses, sexual assaults and thefts.

While a large number of the calls (42) from the past year were for reporting “Unwanted Persons,” it is apparent crime is a major problem with the program located at the old Knights Inn on Lincolnway West in South Bend. Below is a breakdown of some of the highlights.

Assault: 17 Calls

Theft: 15 Calls

Disturbance: 15 Calls

Overdose: 14 Calls

Threat: 10 Calls

Suspicious Activity: 8 Calls

Fighting: 4 Calls

Burglary: 3 Calls

Weapons: 3 Calls

Shots Fired: 3 Calls

Harassment: 3 Calls

Vandalism: 2 Calls

Stabbing: 1 Call

Sex Assault: 1 Call

Drugs: 1 Call

It also turns out, the taxpayer is footing the bill for this nuisance property at the tune of millions of dollars. Through the end of 2021, the program received $2,076,514 from St. Joseph County. In 2022, the property owner received $268,975 in taxpayer dollars from the county himself. And, that’s not including emergency rental assistance that has been paid out at taxpayer expense.

CRIME RATES UNDER REDMAN

Crime rates have also soared under Redman's leadership. Burglaries alone jumped more than 40 percent from 2019 to 2020. Active criminal warrants have also surged under Redman's watch. However, the Sheriff attempted to hide much of the crime data from the public.

Prior to the 2022 general election, the St. Joseph County Police Department removed certain crime data from its website shortly after the St. Joseph County GOP put out an advertisement regarding the rising stats under Democrat Sheriff William Redman.

In a radio ad at the time, the St. Joseph County GOP stated there are more than 4,000 active warrants in the county. At the time of the ad, REAL News Michiana was able to verify that number by visiting the “warrant search” section of the St. Joseph County Police Website. However, in an attempt to check those numbers again, RNM discovered the search option disappeared from the taxpayer funded webpage.

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