Gary mayor's regional town hall plan on police draws praise

GARY, Ind. (AP) - The mayor of Gary has been recognized by a U.S. mayors' publication for taking proactive steps to improve community-police relations.

The (Munster) Times reports (http://bit.ly/2bimjQv ) Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson's idea for a northwestern Indiana town hall meeting to address issues related to region law enforcement is included in a new U.S. Conference of Mayors publication compiling plans across the country to ease tensions.

Freeman-Wilson says her plan for a region wide meeting, instead of a Gary-only town hall, is needed because the population of Gary, which she noted is 85 percent black, differs markedly from neighboring municipalities. She says the goal is wider engagement between residents and neighboring communities and more training and discussion about implicit bias and other solutions.

The town hall meeting has not yet been scheduled.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.thetimesonline.com