Jason Dombkowski, Chief of the West Lafayette Police Department, spoke to us about our police force. 
There are fifty police officers for a local population of approximately 42,000 citizens. West Lafayette has one of the top ten lowest crime rates for cities of more than 10,000 people in Indiana. It is also the thirteenth safest college town in the U.S. and the only Big 10 school included among the top thirty. Chief Dombkowski gives some of the credit for these achievements to our quality police force. The West Lafayette police have recently adopted proactive strategies of having more foot patrols in the neighborhoods and school areas so that officers can interact with community members and students. Chief Dombkowski remarked on the high level of cooperation among the two cities and the county such that they all work together and share resources. This is true of the police and sheriff departments and local governments. A major change in law enforcement came with the adoption of body cameras for officers. In the year 2013, without any body cameras, West Lafayette saw 29 incidents of officers using force against a citizen. In the year 2015, there were only 10 such incidents. Body cameras have proven their value. When asked whether the local police department will be adopting the use of drones, Chief Dombkowski replied that there are too many privacy issues related to the use of drones for police work.
STUDENT GUESTS:
CHUCK HORNER introduced two students from Harrison High School: Jaylynn Beam and Omar Almakki. Each received a certificate with the Four-way test to mark their visit to our club.