INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and public safety officials are touting the success of the city's three-year, $150 million violence reduction plan.
The city claims there was a 16% decline in violent crime between 2021 and 2022, and a 19% decline from 2022 to 2023.
“In its first two years, this strategy has accompanied a total 31% reduction in criminal homicides and a 20% reduction in non-fatal shootings,” Hogsett said. “These are record declines at IMPD, but they are just the beginning of a new era in Indianapolis."
City leaders also touted a 7.3% decrease in non-fatal shootings in 2023. They said robberies declined by 4.3% and aggravated assaults by 6.5% in 2023. That led to an overall decrease in violent crime of 7.4% from 2022.
"This strategy is saving lives in the city of Indianapolis, and it's doing so in a rate surpassing the nation at large," Hogsett said. "While statistics will never heal wounds, statistics will never restore a life that has been lost, the declines that we see ensure that fewer residents will bear those awful burdens."
“By collaborating with and listening to our community, we were able to make significant progress in driving down violence crime in nearly all categories," IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said.
Since January 2022, Indianapolis has been working alongside the National Institute for Criminal Justice reform, who strategizes weekly with law enforcement to reduce gun violence.
"On Thursday, there is a review of every single homicide and every single injury shooting that has a likelihood of retaliation," said David Muhammad, with the institute. "A detailed analysis and discussion of which of these incidents are we concerned that are going to escalate into a retaliatory shooting."
Muhammad said in 2023, IMPD organized a team of 100 officers dedicated to a focus enforcement operation that zero in on individuals and groups who are most responsible for gun violence.
"Some of them haven’t done anything illegal but are making threats to retaliate for their friend’s shooting online, and they have the risk factors that say they might actually retaliate. They will be referred to the Office of Public Health and Safety and the Indianapolis Public Safety Foundation for the Indy Peace Fellowship," Muhammad said. "The level of finding those individuals, engaging them and getting them to agree to be in this fellowship. To have a life coach for the next six, 12, 18 months. That has been particularly successful.”
In the new year, the violence reduction strategy aims to make more progress — focusing on one issue that saw an increase in 2023.
"We're going to have to really look at our youth violence," Taylor said. "We're going to have to look at how many children have access to firearms and how we deal with that. It's unacceptable for any parent or anyone who cares about children to know that youth have these weapons, and they're being impacted by violent crime either as victims or as participants."
The Office of Public Health and Safety said it will hire a prevention manager, who is tasked with tackling youth violence by getting to young people before they enter a cycle of violence.
"What we have seen so far is amazing, but I'm excited to see what's happening in the future and our goals and aspirations for 2024 and beyond," said Lauren Rodriguez, the Deputy Mayor of Public Health and Safety.
The violence reduction plan includes $45 million for grassroots community peace organizations, including 50 peacemakers to engage with those at risk of becoming perpetrators or victims of gun violence. There is $30 million in funding going toward access to mental health services. The city also established a clinician-led 911 response team.
There was also $9 million dedicated to modern policing technology.
The violence reduction plan was funded by money from the American Rescue Plan funds.
Indy Peace has 60 mediators and life coaches working with people most at risk to commit or be a victim of gun violence. Eighteen people completed the Indy Peace Fellowship last year, a 12- to 18-month program providing hope and opportunity.
"The ZIP codes that are at the very highest risk of gun violence where we're seeing more homicides, more non-fatal shootings, those are the ZIP codes we're going to," said Tony Lopez, the city's deputy director of community violence reduction. "Last year, we did outreach within apartment complexes, 60-day, 90-day plans within these apartment complexes to provide the support that residents need in the apartment complex, help them feel safe within those areas."
But while overall homicides went down in Indianapolis, youth gun violence is up. Kareem Hines is the founder of the New B.O.Y. mentoring program. He appreciates the city's investment in intervention programs like New B.O.Y., which works with boys, many of whom are already in the juvenile justice system.
"We have seen an increase in those young people dying, so those numbers are not really something to boast about. So I get the trauma, the pain of the families of the friends that have lost their friend or their family member to gun violence — babies we're burying," Hines said.
Hines said mentors have to meet youth where they are at to understand their environment.
"I would love, love to see more parent participation. That's like mandatory for our boys," said G'Ma, a New B.O.Y. mentor.
Citywide, Indy Peace hopes to identify and train 99 mediators in January, one for every neighborhood in Indianapolis.
New B.O.Y. hosts several youth engagement events throughout the year. Right now, they're accepting registrations for their second annual "Playing for Peace" youth basketball league.
Teens ages 15 to 17 can sign up for free. League play starts Saturday, Jan. 6, and there are games each weekend, alternating between New Revelation Church at 6701 Oaklandon Road on the east side and D1 The Factory at 6331 Crawfordsville Road on the west side.
Contact Hines at 317-869-5022 for more information about registering for the league.