City leaders, community activists disagree on solution to Indy crime

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – With a surge in violence in Indianapolis, many people are wondering if there can be a consensus when it comes to combatting crime.

City leaders and community activists agree there is a major problem with violence in Indianapolis, but, not on how to solve it.

Mayor Joe Hogsett wants $3 million to go towards crime prevention. City-County councilors will have to approve the spending, which some expect will happen. However, they don’t agree that more meetings between city leaders will solve the crime.

In a statement to News 8, Public Safety Committee Chair Leroy Robinson said:

Long-term problems require long-term solutions, no matter how much we may wish that wasn’t the case. Addressing violence in our community, and gun violence in particular, is the top priority for every member of the Council. While individual Councillors may have different ideas about how to move forward, there is zero disagreement about how urgent and important the issue is. 

Following recommendations from the Public Safety and Criminal Justice committee, the Council has approved every investment in public safety brought before it in the past 18 months. I expect nothing different 6 days from now when the Council takes up the administration’s request for an additional $3.3M for technology supports for IMPD and programs to reduce domestic violence and youth crime. Members of the committee were vocal about the need for sufficient time to review the proposal, which they have now received.

I don’t believe a handful of Councillors discussing violence amongst themselves in extra committee meetings can solve this challenge. Better forums, with broader membership and greater expertise in public safety such as the Marion County Criminal Justice Planning Council, already exist and present plenty of opportunity for convening wider discussions on the challenge of violence in Indianapolis. Our neighbors and loved ones are not dying for a lack of committee meetings. They are not dying for a lack of concern or care. They are dying from a lethal combination of untreated trauma and mental health issues, addiction, deprivation, and ready access to guns. If we want to have a true impact on violence in our city, we have to be ready to face the true root causes.

The Fraternal Order of Police, union President, Rick Snyder has another view. He tweeted, “Make no mistake: violence in indy is not a public health crisis…It is a public safety crisis compounded by politicians deliberately sitting on their hands while criminal attacks spiral out of control.”

Politicians like Mayor Hogsett said adding more financial stability to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and their data is going to be key to ending the surge in violence. Hogsett said more than half of the $3 million will go toward things like public safety, domestic violence and conflict resolution. These are areas he believes lead to gun violence. However, the mayor said the crime is not just an Indianapolis issue.

“Indianapolis isn’t alone in this regard,” said Hogsett. “We’ve also have greater number of individuals who have access to weapons who have no legal business possessing the weapons.” He went on to say, “The mayor, the police can’t do it alone, we need the community to step up whether it be a witness or any kind of communication.”

According to the gun violence archive, 170 people have been killed across the country in the last three days. 

IMPD increased their patrols over the weekend to combat crime, but community members said more action is needed.

The City-County Council will vote on the $3 million for crime prevention next week.