City decides against combining police, firefighting duties

GARY, Ind. (AP) - A mayor in northwestern Indiana is no longer seeking to combine the duties of city police officers and firefighters as part of an effort to save money.

Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson proposed the idea in 2015 and last year funds were put aside for 30 public safety positions in the current year's budget.

The Times of Northwest Indiana reports, however, that Freeman-Wilson this month said her administration is no longer looking to create such positions after holding a number of joint sessions with police and fire officials. She says both departments need to increase staffing.

Freeman-Wilson says one of the driving forces behind creating the public safety positions was to increase pay. That's been done, however, for police officers and firefighters.

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