INDIANAPOLIS — Eighteen officer-involved shootings, 10 people killed in 2023 in Indianapolis.
And now, six months into 2024, the people of Indianapolis got to address the Department of Justice, a U.S. attorney and IMPD Chief Chris Bailey.
One person took to the floor to discuss the number of Black and brown men killed in these shootings.
"I am concerned as a man of African decent that the numbers are saying I'm a target," said Elder Mmoja Ajabu, who attended the meeting.
Others voiced what they believe may be a way to decrease the number of police shootings.
"Our police officers are getting shot at probably more than they have for many years, so I think we need to consider that the law changed, and that law needs to be put back in place where we don't have so many people who aren't supposed to have guns, have guns," said one woman who attended.
But no matter what people showed up for, they were able to get a little insight on how different law enforcement agencies look into these police shootings and determining if an officer's use of force goes too far.
"When law enforcement or anyone is acting under government power allegedly deprives people of their constitutional rights through, for example, use of excessive force, that's something that is potentially a federal crime, and we have to prove the level of knowledge and intent to break the law and those sorts of things," said Zachary Myers, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
Special agent Herb Stapleton said the FBI gets complaints from members of the public and from people in uniform, but the bureau only handles crimes that violate federal law.
"The FBI does not have the authority to investigate whether or not someone violated the department's procedures or policies," Stapleton said. "That's not within our authority."
Bailey also gave some insight as to when we could see the external review completed.
"By the end of the year is what I'm told, but if they run into any roadblocks on their end or the DOJ takes time to review the report, that could delay it, but by the end of the year is when we hope to have it done," Bailey said.
Bailey also said the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) researchers will be coming in to gather data to identify patterns in police shootings.