INDIANAPOLIS — City leaders in Indianapolis are working on new ways to help reduce youth violence.
That's the goal of so many grassroots organizations.
While most other crimes started trending down in Indianapolis, teen violence was the one that really skyrocketed.
Metro police reports show 24 people — under the age of 18 — were killed in 2023.
"We do see a concerning number of youth being victims and perpetrators of gun violence in our city and we hear the community. And so, through that and through the last year of data, we see that, even though it's a small percentage of the number, it's still a percentage we don't want to see — especially within our youth," said Tony Lopez, deputy director of Community Violence Reduction in the Office of Public Health and Safety for the city of Indianapolis.
Lopez and his team are looking for someone — a chief prevention officer — to focus on not only connecting with those under the age of 18 but developing youth programs and working with other city organizations.
"How do they collaborate with Indy Peace who's working with the 18-35 year olds, but when we do weekly shooting reviews with IMPD we also have individuals under that age range that we normally work with and how do we have somebody that we collaborate with on a regular basis to work on those efforts," Lopez said.
Lopez said the person will also work in the high schools and middle schools and be tasked with other responsibilities. He said it is unclear when the position will be officially posted.