INDIANAPOLIS — The head of the police union in Indianapolis is making a call for change to fight a historic police officer shortage.
Indy FOP President Rick Snyder, in a news conference Wednesday, shared his plan to boost numbers at IMPD.
Snyder calls this a crisis with dire consequences and, he said, in order to fix it, IMPD officers need better pay, better schedules and for now - help patrolling from Indiana State Police.
To get more officers wearing the badge in Indianapolis, Snyder said salaries have to rise. And not just by a little.
IMPD has seen pay increases in recent years, but Snyder wants them to outpay any department in the state.
"I think the largest police agency with the most responsibility in the state of Indiana should be the top paid in the state of Indiana," he said. "Otherwise purely on market principles, you're not going to attract the best and the most talented that you need."
Snyder praised Carmel, state police and the similarly-sized city of Columbus, Ohio for their contracts, saying they're more competitive than Indianapolis.
"These agencies are now offering a mid-career police officer with 15 years of experience $105,000 in Carmel, $112,000 at the Indiana State Police and $122,000 in annual salaries for Columbus, Ohio police officers," he said.
Snyder said in Indianapolis, mid-career officers make around $85,000-$87,000 per year.
Numbers are at the heart of this issue. IMPD staffing is at a historic low. The force is short by 300 officers.
Last week, IMPD Chief Chris Bailey expressed frustration to the council at a committee meeting.
"They are tired. We are all tired," Bailey said. "Right now, we have not slashed any of our services or told community members that we won't be showing up on their particular run, but we are very close to that."
Now, the police union is sharing a proposal for a fix.
Snyder called it "Operation Firewall."
It calls for higher pay and a big raise for the chief to keep him at the helm. He said Bailey is estimated to be making $100,000 below his peers in other major cities.
The plan also calls for a transition to 10-hour alternative schedules, instead of the current 8-hour rotation.
"We would have three shifts working ten-hour shifts," Snyder explained. "With such an alternative schedule, the IMPD can overlap each shift and its staffing at peak demand times throughout the day and night, thus leveraging their limited resources in the most cost-effective manner."
Snyder also wants help with patrols from Indiana State Police, a partnership to supplement IMPD's service and protection.
Troopers would work Indianapolis streets temporarily during this staffing crisis.
"They could be used to be backup to primary officers through IMPD, quite frankly, much like they did in Gary. They could take on patrol responsibilities in the neighborhoods, on our roadways," Snyder said. "I would say as often as necessary especially to get us through this bridge of fourth quarter 2024, first quarter 2025. We have reached out to (ISP) Superintendent Doug Carter. We've asked him if he could begin the analysis from which we understand is underway."
But Indiana State Police is down people too, telling 13News as of right now, they're 150 troopers short.
Plus, IMPD's chief, when asked about getting troopers to patrol Indianapolis, says things aren't that desperate — yet.
"I think that the people of Indianapolis should trust that their leader in me have already been thinking about these things and my team and I have been thinking about what happens when we get to certain points for some time," Bailey said Wednesday, "and we're not there. We don't feel like we're there and I think it would be a little bit irresponsible to say that because we're talking about people."
But contingencies are being considered, as IMPD struggles with how to get more officers on Indianapolis streets.
The police union is also calling for a new "recoupment fee" for big Indianapolis events, like the Indianapolis 500, Colts games, Pacers games, conventions and concerts.
Snyder said it would offset the "drain on resources pulled from our city's neighborhoods." For example, potentially tacking on $3 per ticket to pay for public safety at downtown events and offset IMPD expenses.
Snyder cited cities like Boise, Spokane and Tulsa that use charge back rates to offset wages for officers working the events.