INDIANAPOLIS — This week, the city of Indianapolis announced it hired a new Chief Violence Prevention Officer. The focus of the position is to curb youth violence.
13News sat down with with the new chief during his first couple days on the job.
Born and raised in Indy, Ralph Durrett Jr. grew up on the west side.
"I am an inner-city kid and still feel that way at heart," said Durrett. "I would either arrive after something happened, or I would leave before something happened. It has always been like that my whole life."
He remembers the friends he lost to gun violence.
"It was almost second nature. It was almost normal. I can't even say I've fully grieved their loss because it almost seemed like a normal thing, but now as an adult, I have a better understanding of life and the value that life has," Durrett said.
At 38, the husband and father of two is making the most of his life.
He graduated from Warren Central, then IUPUI and went on to get his law degree.
"I always say whenever I speak about myself that, 'statistically, I was more likely to need an attorney rather than become one,'" Durrett said.
He said he only got there because of his support system.
"I had to work for everything, I had to fight for everything," he said.
He was the capital project real estate manager for the city before Wednesday. That's when the city announced Durrett as the Chief Violence Prevention Officer, a newly created position, with his family standing by.
"People on Facebook or wherever she [sister] was streaming, it probably heard her crying in the background as she's recording the whole press conference. It's an achievement not just for me, it's an achievement for my family," Durrett said.
Now, it's time to get to work.
"That is the main thing. Being visible, being intentional, being present," Durrett said.
Durrett knows it won't be easy. Last year, 21 people under the age of 18 were lost to gun violence, according to IMPD.
"So, I understand what they're thinking, I understand what they're feeling. I understand the pressures that they're under just trying to survive so ultimately, I am one of them," Durrett said.
He wants to lead by example to ultimately point kids in another direction toward a different life. "If he came from this place, I can do it also," Durrett said.
13News asked Durrett if he's under contract, if he has a timeline of when he hopes to see results and more about specifics of his day-to-day duties. A city spokesperson said they won't be answering that question for the time being.