Last week, IMPD Chief Bryan Roach, Mayor Joe Hogsett and other leaders announced the reformation of the Indianapolis Violence Reduction Partnership. IVRP, founded in 1998, was an initiative created in direct response to the high-level of homicides in the city. In 1995, the number of murders in the city reached a 15 year high of 466, a rate of 8.0 per 100,000 residents.
A study conducted in 2006 titled “Reducing Homicide Through a ‘Lever-Pulling’ Strategy” found that monthly homicides were reduced by 34.3 percent following the IVRP intervention. In comparison, Indianapolis was the only city, out of six researched, that experienced a statistically significant decline.
The IVRP announcement comes as part of an ongoing holistic approach by the police department that combines innovative techniques, such as providing direct resources to citizens like food and health services and a return to beat-based community policing of the past.
Over the past few years, rates of homicide and violence across the city have been a consistent cause for concern as well as growing incidents around the sale and use of marijuana and narcotics. In 2015 and 2016, the city saw historically violent years. Recent data shows that the tide may be turning.
“We are seeing a difference in the streets, it’s not an impressionable one so I don’t want to overstate the case,” said Mayor Hogsett. “Now is not the time to rest on our laurels. It’s time to double down and really put together a comprehensive strategy.”
The strategy is a collaborative one according to Chief Roach. The chief shared with the Recorder that he has had conversations with a number of community leaders around creating opportunities for youth to be engaged, and per the mayor’s criminal justice reform plan, mobile crisis intervention units have been added to each district in the city. The units consist of a partnership between officers and mental health personnel from Midtown Mental Health. In August, the east district will run a pilot program that expands this initiative by adding 24/7 paramedic services.
Additionally, Roach emphasized that 100 percent engagement from officers with the community is a top priority. “That doesn’t mean just pulling over cars… it may mean walking in the barbershops. Talking to the lady that’s selling ribs on the corner. It’s changing the mind set of the officers,” he said. Monday night, the Chief made the news for practicing what he preached when he rescued an injured driver from an overturned vehicle on I-70.
Recently, he and the Mayor have begun doing “walk-arounds” in some of the most disproportionately violent areas of the city such as Haughville and the 10th and Rural neighborhood. Wednesday, they spent time near 25th and Keystone.
“You’re not just there to look for the bad things and lock the bad people up, be aware of those things and look for those things – we all know what suspicious activity looks like. But at the same time, you still need to engage everybody else. You’re not just waiting on something to happen to respond negatively. It’s becoming more a part of the community,” said Roach.
Hogsett shared that the added purpose of the visits is to see first hand the issues affecting citizens and to present a more pronounced stance on intolerance for violent behavior.
“To conceptualize is one thing, to see first hand gives a deeper understanding to the state of disrepair homes are in, the need that may exist in terms of infrastructure. It allows us to talk to residents stand on their front porch and hear their stories,” he said. “We live in a post-Ferguson, post-Baton Rouge world and every urban area is emphasizing and improving police community relations… as mayor that is extraordinarily important to me.”
Hogsett said that there are plans to do more “walk-arounds” throughout the summer months.
“I also want to make sure people know that we’re there…to send the message to those who may want to wreak mischief and mayhem in these communities that we’re not going to stand idly by and let it go on.”
