Lynsay Clutter/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - The number of homicides in 2006 sky-rocketed in Indianapolis compared to recent years. The rise in crime became a top concern for city leaders, church leaders and the dominant issue during the Marion County Prosecutor's race.
Feelings of loss and injustice at prayer vigils and memorial services throughout Indianapolis in 2006.
With just three days left, there have been 153 homicides. That's just nine less than the record of 162 set in 1998. In 2005 there were 88 homicides.
The crimes impacted victim's families and entire communities. June 1, seven family members were brutally murdered during a robbery inside their Hamilton Avenue home on the city's near east side.
The week leading up to the Brickyard 400, four people were killed on the city's East Side in just 24 hours. Police officers stepped up their patrols in hard hit neighborhoods.
"This is an emergency and we will do whatever it takes," said Mayor Bart Peterson.
The Mayor and city leaders formed a task force to address the crime problem and decrease the homicide rate in 2007.
"Their report is actually going to be done in about a week or so," said Deputy Mayor Steve Campbell. "What the Mayor asked for was a comprehensive look of all the effective programs in the city, all the things that actually prevent crime. When we get those recommendations, we intend to fund them."
The problem was not just with Indianapolis this year. Other cities like Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Houston and Oakland have also seen a spike in homicides. New Orleans is the only major U-S city with a sharp decline. But the city only has half the population it had before Hurricane Katrina.
Both Marion County Sheriff's Detectives and IPD investigators are above the national average when solving homicide cases. In 2006, a total of 40 cases remain unsolved between the two departments.
