Question from Indianapolis Mayoral Debate on WISH-TV: Is Indianapolis safe?
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Democrat mayor of Indianapolis and a Republican hopeful for the job answered questions, many provided by WISH-TV viewers, during a live, hourlong debate aired Monday night. Hogsett is seeking a third four-year term as mayor of Indianapolis. Shreve, a businessman who has previously served on the City-County Council, won the Republican primary in May.
Monday night’s presentation was the first one-hour televised debate in an Indianapolis mayoral campaign in nearly 20 years.
Indianapolis has been confronting huge questions about crime, the murder rate, public safety, jobs, health and neighborhoods. However, crime and public safety were the top topics of the questions WISH-TV received from viewers. For the past three years, Indianapolis has heard about record homicide rates in the city, growing fears about crime in neighborhoods, and watched the downtown riots in 2020. So, News 8 asked the candidates: Do you believe Indianapolis is a safe city? Do you believe downtown is safe?
Hogsett says downtown is “extraordinarily safe,” but unfortunate events of gun violence throughout the city have brought “perception problems.” He cited a need to better limit the availability of guns, something that changed when Indiana lawmakers changed the law in 2022 and allowed people to carry firearms without permits.
Shreve says too much of downtown is not safe or doesn’t not feel safe, and does not feel inviting, and perception is reality.