River Park resident working to spark change in the community

SOUTH BEND, Ind.-Sparking change in the community: that's one River Park resident’s mission. He’s working to bring South Bend together and keep crime out of his neighborhood.

Dusten Lyvers is a 24-year old graduate student at IU South Bend and a South Bend native.

He is heavily involved in community events and is working on joining a program that’s helping stop crime in the city.

“I think we all have a personal responsibility for wherever we are in the world to look out for each other,” Lyvers said. “I just thought this is one other way I can do that,” Lyvers said.

The Neighborhood Watch program has been in place for some time at South Bend’s Police Department.

Dusten will soon be a “Block Captain,” a liaison between the people who live in work in a specific section of the city and the officers who are assigned to the area. Lyvers is assigned to the area between Wall and Logan Street in River Park.

Anyone who lives within city limits can form a Neighborhood Watch team. When a group forms, responsibilities include:

Selecting a block captain who is responsible for relaying information to members (EX: emailing crime reports)

Recruit members, keep track of new residents

Work with local government and law enforcement officials

South Bend Police hold monthly meetings for Neighborhood Watch groups on the first Thursday of every month at 6:45 P.M. Learn more about South Bend’s Neighborhood Watch HERE.

Here's more about Neighborhood Watch:

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Dusten is hoping to create t-shirts that say “#NotinMyNeighborhood”. He would like the community to help him create the shirt’s design. If you’d like to help Dusten in his efforts, click HERE for his information.