INDIANAPOLIS — NOTE: The above video is from a previous report with IMPD Police Chief Randal Taylor on the violence in Indianapolis in 2021.
IMPD released preliminary numbers on just how many people were shot in Indianapolis in 2021. According to IMPD, there were 762 people shot last year. That is a 6.72% increase over 2020 when 714 people were shot.
Indianapolis also saw a nearly 6% increase in shooting incidents. The year ended with 677 calls for someone being shot.
IMPD said an audit is being done on the numbers and can still change.
IMPD Police Chief Randal Taylor sat down with 13News following a record year of homicides. Those final numbers are still being tabulated, but will likely end with more than 270 for 2021.
Taylor said it was a perfect storm between the pandemic and systemic issues.
"They are people getting upset over whatever, Facebook posts or feeling disrespected and of course, we still have people involved in the drug game," Taylor said. "Regardless of what that reasoning is, I'm always going to fail to understand why people feel it necessary to pull a trigger or pull a knife."
Taylor said he's proud of his more than 1,650 officers still working through a difficult year.
"Without their willingness to take on this difficult job, we'd be in a world of hurt. Those officers have done a fantastic job throughout the year. They've been through a lot of things and they've coped with those things, and I'm proud of them," he said.
Accomplishments this past year included using police body camera videos to get information to the public, especially during officer-involved shootings. Officers also met with the families of the person involved.
"A lot of the public wanted to make sure that they were going to be able to see the videos, and I made a promise to them that I would show those," Taylor said. "I think just our transparency is the biggest thing I'm taking away from 2021."
This January, Indy is bringing in national experts to help curb gun violence, adding dozens of outreach workers and life coaches to the street.
"That's going to be the goal for 2022, is to try to find whatever that answer is and find out how to get people to stop pulling guns, and 'this is the way to solve a problem' because obviously it's not," Taylor said.
IMPD is adding new technology, like license plate readers and cameras.
Taylor also plans to hire 100 officers.
"I could put an officer on every corner, and if someone is determined that they're going to shoot someone, I think they'll probably do it. The goal is to get them to the point where they don't feel the need to pull a gun," Taylor said.
IMPD will host meetings in every district starting in mid-January.
"I want to hear what [community members] have to say," he said.
He said a safer new year will take help from everyone.
"Just like the public holds the police accountable, we need to hold the community accountable as a whole, all of us as a whole, with what we're doing, how we act and how we behave," Taylor said.