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"Now that they have the DTSB ambassadors, they also have the police substation down here," he said.
The substation opened last June in a Michigan Street store front across the street from the South Bend Chocolate Cafe.
But WSBT noticed officers are rarely there and the door is almost always locked. And it's costing you money!
According to information from the South Bend Police Department, each month the department pays an average of $1,125 in rent and utilities, which adds up to more than $13,000 taxpayer dollars per year.
So, WSBT looked into it a little more, wanting to see just how much the substation is being used. We checked 20 random days in January, all hours of the day and night. Only twice - at 5 a.m. on a Monday and noon on a Friday did we actually find an officer there.
"Actually, it's a satellite office for officers that are out on patrol," explained South Bend Police Capt. Robert Hammer.
Hammer said the substation was never meant to be used 24/7, but it is open and staffed during special events such as the former College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival, parades or when Santa was downtown.
One officer we spotted inside the substation told us he was catching up on reports.
"The reality of that is, I think people feel safer," Hammer said. "I think there's a misperception of the crime that is downtown or was, and I think [having the sub station there provides] more of a secure feeling for folks to come downtown and to be involved in the commerce and the daily business."
The city also added additional seasonal bike and foot patrols downtown last summer when the substation opened and they claim crime is down since then.
Using crime statistics provided by South Bend Police, WSBT compared the last six months of 2011 with the last six months of 2012 and found the number of reported thefts from vehicles was down by 9 and reported vandalisms dropped by 20. However, reported assaults and batters rose by 6 and the number of robberies to people increased by 1.
"It's endless what you could do there," said South Bend City Council President and police officer Derek Dieter.