Eighty-four percent of residents live in family homes, compared with 82 percent citywide. Crime is rampant. The southeast is the most densely populated area in the city, with about 52,600 residents in 16 square miles. The southwest area, which has 46,622 people, is 22.2 square miles. There are certain categories of crime that are higher in the southeast, said Deputy Police Chief Annanias Brooks.
Theft is one.
Brooks said there is more opportunity for crime in many areas of the southeast because of the number of detached garages. If one leaves a garage door open, that's offering someone the opportunity to remove those items. When it comes to reports of shots fired and actual shootings, the southeast draws the lion's share. There are more violent crimes in southeast Fort Wayne, and most are committed by young black men, Brooks said. Living in southeast Fort Wayne has been a wake-up call for Pettit, he said.