74 IMPD recruits sworn in; will focus on community policing
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s new recruiting class was sworn in Monday afternoon.
“Today you are accepting a calling to public service and service to our great city and its people,” said Mayor Greg Ballard.
74 recruits were sworn in. They are the first class since the city raised the public safety tax. The city is looking to hire 250 officers over the next 5 years.
The officers are learning a different kind of policing, one that tries to prevent crime, rather than reacting to it.
“The question is: are you ready for the challenge?,” asked IMPD Chief Rick Hite. “Are you ready? We’ll find out very soon,”
The challenge is continuing to drive down the city’s crime numbers.
“Someone needs to make a difference, someone needs to step up to the plate,” said Michelle Garcia, one of the recruits.
“I’m nervous, but very excited, yes,” said Ronald Metcalf, another recruit.
IMPD and city officials say a community policing model, will force the recruits to look at the neighborhoods as more than just a job.
“You will find yourself patrolling a hot spot or reporting to a crime scene, but that hot spot, that crime scene is someone’s neighborhood, someone’s home,” said Mayor Ballard.
“As a police officer we all have to be ready to build relationships and wanting to be community-based,” said Jaidion Broader, a recruit.
“That isn’t just solely focused on reactionairy policing and intervention, but also the ability to have the extra resources to focus on education and crime prevention efforts as well,” said Rick Snyder, president of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police.
It’s the prevention that leaders with the Ten Point Coalition say is crucial.
“What I like about what they’re doing is they’re looking at the broader, holistic approach to addressing the violence,” said Rev. Charles Harrison, the leader of Ten Point Coalition.
While still faced with challenges, leaders say homicides and crime are down when compared to last year.
“They have to do a good job, they have to understand what this is all about, and be very, very dedicated,” said Mayor Ballard.
The city says these recruits were picked to mirror the demographics of the city.
There are two Asian men, eight black men, three black women, three Hispanic men, two Hispanic women, 41 white men and 15 white women.
These recruits will go through six months in the academy, and several weeks after than of one on one training. The police union says it could be a year and half before they’re patrolling by themselves.
