Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Troy Riggs will be leaving the administration at the end of 2016, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced Wednesday.
“At the end of this challenging year, Chief Troy Riggs will be leaving the City of Indianapolis to pursue other opportunities,” Hogsett said in a written statement.
This isn’t the first time Riggs has left IMPD.
Riggs was appointed director or public services in October of 2012; in 2015, he resigned and went on to serve as director of public safety outreach at IUPUI. In December of that same year, then-IMPD Chief Rick Hite stepped down, and Riggs took over that role.
“While we are grateful for the innovative ideas that Troy brought to the table over the last 11 months, I have already begun the process of assembling a new IMPD leadership team that will build upon our efforts to reduce violent crime and protect our neighborhoods. I remain more confident than ever in the dedication and bravery of the men and women who proudly wear the uniform of IMPD, every single day,” Hogsett’s statement continued.
At a news conference, Hogsett applauded the work Riggs has done for IMPD.
“For the last year, Chief Riggs has served admirably as we worked to return IMPD to community-based policing and to focus resources on those neighborhoods most in need. On behalf of a grateful city, I want to thank Chief Riggs for his service,” said Hogsett.
Though Riggs did not share what was next for him in regards to his profession, he did share that financial considerations played a role in his decision to leave.
“This is certainly a tough day for me personally and professionally. This has been the highlight of my professional carrier, and it is tough to leave,” said Riggs. “I had to look at the financial future of my family. At the end of the day, financial considerations are certainly there. I am not looking at any other police jobs. This is the finest police department, and it has the best people.”
Hogsett admitted that IMPD’s police chiefs are paid at a lower rate than others in comparable cities.
“The truth is the police chief here in Indianapolis is paid a bit lower, if not considerably lower, but I believe it is the best police department in any similar-sized city,” said Hogsett.
Indianapolis City-County Council President Maggie A. Lewis, released the following statement after the announcement of Riggs’s resignation:
“I want to thank Chief Troy Riggs for his dedication to our city serving as both chief of IMPD and director of public safety. I, along with my colleagues on the Council, am appreciative of his commitment to public safety and keeping the interests of our residents at the forefront of his efforts. We look forward to working alongside the mayor and his team to identify a new leader and send a special thank you to all those who have accepted the call to serve.”
