INDIANAPOLIS — Officers know, no two city blocks are the same.
"Every neighborhood out there has a different story, has a different culture, has a different kind of nuance about it," said IMPD North District Commander Michael Wolley.
But there is something IMPD notices citywide.
"What we see is a lot of our crime is typically coming from one house, one little, small block, and that really contributes to the overall crime in the neighborhood," Wolley said.
To combat that, officers rely on the people living in the area.
"What we find is if we work with the community, they help us identify who those individuals are, times of day by providing tips," Wolley said. "We're able to hone in and, like we've always done, go specifically after those individuals perpetrating crime in those communities."
IMPD officer Casey Seaton works on building those connections daily.
"Sometimes that is what's going on. You'll have a house or specific houses in a neighborhood that's just a recurring theme of drugs or guns," Seaton said. "The two are linked a lot of times."
Seaton would like to see more neighborhoods take these problems upon themselves.
"If you truly care about your neighborhood, you have passion about your block, making it a better community, making it a better Indy, then at least try to reach out and wrap arms around those that are struggling," Seaton said. "Maybe that can change their route in life before police intervene."
The issue isn't exclusive to just one area of the city. IMPD officers are working with neighborhoods across Indianapolis to help get problems out, but they have said they have seen a lot of recent success in one north side neighborhood.
"The Butler-Tarkington neighborhood — they are a hugely active neighborhood and a very responsible community. But on the other hand, there are still problem houses or problem issues," Seaton said. "The cool thing about it is the community reaches out to us and vice versa to try and remedy those problems."
Activity that occurs, in part, through tips.
"We're starting to see the things we're doing within our community, to kind of bridge those gaps, become relatable to our community, is starting to allow them to provide us more information to solve some of the crimes we've seen," Wolley said.
To send a tip anonymously, you can call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.