INDIANAPOLIS — The candidates for Indianapolis mayor have been flooding Marion County airwaves and mailboxes with campaign ads, and many of their TV commercials and mailings focus largely on public safety and policing.
Some of the ads seem to present conflicting messages, according to viewers who’ve contacted 13News VERIFY.
“They’re confusing the heck out of me,” said Indianapolis resident Lynne Dean. “In the political ads for Indianapolis mayor, Shreve says we are short 300 IMPD officers. Hogsett says we have 700 new officers. Who is right?”
13News has examined each of the ads separately to verify whether the numbers presented by the candidates are accurate.
QUESTION #1
Has the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department hired 700 new police officers, as Mayor Joe Hogsett claims in a TV ad?
THE SOURCES
- Campaign commercial for Indianapolis mayor Joe Hogsett
- Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
THE ANSWER
Yes, the mayor’s claim that IMPD hired 700 new police officers during his tenure is true. But that does not mean IMPD has hired 700 additional officers. Despite the mayor’s efforts to budget additional dollars for more officers and for high police salaries, the police department has actually experienced a net loss of police officers since Hogsett took office.
WHAT WE FOUND
Statistics provided by IMPD show 755 new officers have joined the city’s police department since Hogsett became mayor in 2016.
So the mayor’s claim about adding 700 new officers is true and actually understates the number of new officers hired by the city. That claim should not, however, be interpreted by voters to mean that IMPD has increased the size of its police force by more than 700 officers.
While IMPD hired 755 new officers since 2016, IMPD “separation” numbers show 888 officers left the department due to retirements, resignations and other departures during that same timeframe. Hiring 755 new officers while losing 888 results in a net loss of 133 police officers since Hogsett took office.
QUESTION #2
Is IMPD short 300 police officers, as Republican mayoral challenger Jefferson Shreve states in his TV and print ads?
THE SOURCES
- Campaign ads for mayoral candidate Jefferson Shreve
- Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
THE ANSWER
Yes, this claim is also true. IMPD currently employs at least 300 fewer police officers than Mayor Joe Hogsett and the city have funding to cover.
WHAT WE FOUND
In both TV and print ads, Jefferson Shreve has raised concerns about public safety and crime rates in Indianapolis, and he has pledged to make the issue his top priority if elected as mayor. Shreve’s ads state that IMPD is “300 officers short.”
IMPD tells 13News the city currently has funding for 1,843 police officers, including local and federal dollars allocated by the mayor.
As of the end of September, IMPD employs 1,520 officers, according to IMPD public affairs officer Lt. Shane Foley.
Subtracting those numbers reveals the city is now 323 officers below its fully funded capacity. That means Shreve’s claim that the city is short 300 officers is accurate - albeit slightly understated and below the actual shortage.
The 1,520 officers now working at IMPD represents the fewest number the city has employed in the past 10 years. While they mayor has budgeted and secured funding for more police and for higher officer pay, a nationwide officer shortage has left IMPD and other police departments struggling to fill vacancies.
BOTTOM LINE
It’s easy to see why voters might be confused by the mayoral job numbers: both Joe Hogsett’s claim of hiring 700 new officers and Jefferson Shreve’s claim that Indianapolis is 300 officers short of full strength are true.
Each candidate is simply highlighting the number that supports his own message to voters.
While IMPD has hired 755 new officers over the past 7 1/2 years that Hogsett has been mayor, Indianapolis’ police department actually has fewer officers now than when Hogsett took office due to officer retirements, resignations and a nationwide policing shortage that makes filling vacancies very difficult.