Bar operators: Thanks to changes, Broad Ripple safe at night again
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A new effort to get customers to come back to Broad Ripple is underway.
Bar owners say late-night violence had hurt business. Now, they say, the strip is safe again thanks to a partnership between business owners and Indianapolis police.
During the daylight hours Friday, people were seen walking to restaurants, bars and shops.
But at night, that foot traffic has decreased, said Stephen Kelly, bar manager at Kilroy’s Bar & Grill. Before this summer, the business used to have a line out the door. As a result, Broad Ripple bars and restaurant owners have taken matters into their hands: They want people to know Broad Ripple is safe at night.
Kelly said, “We came together to team up to make it better and safer, instead of competing against each other, to support each other to make it better to make it safer.”
Kelly said, “With everything being updated and fixed, it’s a much safer place. The police are around. Cameras are up. Everything is ready to go. We’re trying to make it a safer place for everyone to hang out and have a good time.”
Kelly says construction on Broad Ripple Avenue, which is believed to be nearing completion, may have also hampered foot traffic.
Bar and restaurant owners, Broad Ripple Village Association members, and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department representatives meet monthly to discuss better ways to keep their neighborhood safe. They came together after a triple homicide in June 2023.
Commander Matthew Thomas of IMPD said Broad Ripple had a “35% decrease in violent crime year to date.”
IMPD has increased its presence on Fridays, Saturdays, and some holidays.
Also, businesses have hired off-duty officers to be outside their establishments.
News 8 spoke to some people in Broad Ripple on Friday. Some said they don’t feel safe at night in the north-side neighborhood.
Broad Ripple resident Phillip Morris said, “I feel like it’s safe, but I’m not a lady and I’m not a youngster, and this is the middle of the day. Mostly, I’m not out at night.”