Democratic mayoral candidate Melina Kennedy called on Mayor Greg Ballard to put more officers on the street and to take responsibility for public safety in Indianapolis.
Kennedy’s remarks came after hearing several news reports this week that the Ballard administration had decided to delay the small recruit class scheduled to be approved in November. However, just hours later Public Safety Director Straub sent a release claiming that the recruit class is still scheduled to be approved by the Merit Board in November.
Meanwhile, the city notified the Merit Board that the recruit class was being delayed. According to one news report, the mayor was not aware. Additionally, the Merit Board, which has to approve the recruits, does not have a meeting scheduled, nor had the Merit Board run background checks on the recruits, according to other news reports.
“The latest recruit class confusion is just the latest example of the mayor’s lack of leadership and lack of focus on the critical public safety issues facing the city,” said Kennedy. “These continued mistakes are simply not acceptable, and contrary to the public safety pledge this mayor made to Indianapolis residents.
“Crime is going up in our city. Crime prevention has been cut. Mayor Ballard has moved away from community policing. And the number of officers patrolling our streets and protecting our neighbors is going down. We are heading in the wrong direction and we can do better,” she said.
Kennedy continued, “That’s why my Vision 2021 Plan is important to our city. It will put 100 officers back on the street including 50 new officers, in a revenue neutral manner. It will restore crime prevention grants and return to true community policing. Community policing that will allow neighbors to get to know their officers and allow officers to get to know their neighbors. Community policing that will be proactive, not reactive. And community policing that is committed to working with our other law enforcement and criminal justice partners. I am committed to making residents safer in Indianapolis. I will go after guns, gangs and drugs and work in a coordinated and transparent manner with our other law enforcement partners to reduce crime and make Indianapolis a safer place to live, no matter in what neighborhood you live.”
According to a news release from Kennedy, two weeks ago the number of sworn IMPD officers had dropped to just 1,615. In June the city reported having 1,643 sworn officers, but the city was forced to admit that it had been padding the numbers with 16 park rangers. Since June, the number of sworn officers has been below the levels required to be eligible for the federal COPS grant. And the number of sworn IMPD officers is likely to drop even further at the end of the year when dozens of officers are expected to retire or leave the force. Indianapolis is at risk of having to repay some or all of the $11 million of federal public safety funding if the number of sworn officers does not meet the federal funding requirements.
