In 2013, Indianapolis’ crime rate spiked higher than that of Chicago’s rate and more than 129 homicides were recorded out of the 55,085 total reported crimes.
Recently, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Chief Rick Hite offered insight into the lives of Indianapolis officers during an address at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church’s First Friday Conversation.
The event, “Together with the Indy Community to Stop the Violence,” gave IMPD officials a chance to address the wave of city violence, as well as offering the community time to speak out.
“Never did I think my role would be to serve as a father for a whole city of young people because we don’t have parents that take good care of them,” said Hite. “That’s how I feel when I go to funerals when no one is there or when I walk into a room and the women outnumber the men 2-1. Civilization has failed throughout history.”
He said the community needs to stand together to positively impact the youth because the police department can’t take action alone.
“We need to see how important it is to combat this issue and work as a team. And if you didn’t know, this is spiritual warfare,” he said. “If we don’t recognize that sooner rather than later, we are going to lose this battle. I don’t care how many people you have wearing this uniform.”
Hite reflected back to his childhood when powerful leaders such as President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated to address the point that the community cannot move forward if the youth are unaware of their history.
Hite declared the issues Indianapolis faces today are not new and if young people aren’t equipped with tools to survive or haven’t heard what a series of “bad days” are truly like, they’ll be unable to overcome their personal conflictions.
IMPD Chaplain David Coatie stated there is disconnect in the community and the primary occurrence he notices at all crime scenes is the absence of a father.
“Chief Hite is very big in the community,” commented Coatie. “I have never seen someone come into a city and take over a mental process for an entire department the way he has.”
He adds that Hite has taught the department to go back into the community and begin to engage people before a crisis occurs.
“If I’m meeting you in crisis, we’re doing crisis management and we’re problem solving from the jump. But I will never give up,” noted Coatie who remembers attending 65 homicide funerals last year and all of them were African-American males.
Coatie said he is one of 13 children and never knew his own father. However, he recalls growing up that he never feared the police, he feared his mother and when the police arrived, they were there to save him if he ever found himself in trouble. He said he doesn’t fear young people in his neighborhood and will openly go up and speak to them.
“They could have long braids, two hoods, it doesn’t matter. Often times when you walk pass a kid and ignore him, you’re going to recognize him later. It’s pay me now, or pay me later.”
Chief Hite said social media plays a part in why individuals are disconnected from the community. “We don’t challenge one another anymore, we challenge technology. Between Google and Wikipedia (youth) don’t really need us. We have wasted time not telling the youth about our future, our knowledge base, about our intellect and our survival,” said Hite, as he recalls his 7-year-old son complaining about the length of time it takes to make microwave popcorn.
He acknowledged the police department makes mistakes in certain situations, but also notices that many of the issues officers grapple with on a daily basis aren’t what they pledged to handle when they were sworn in under oath. Ninety percent of the situations they face are social and have to do with lifestyle choices, Hite said.
“Our job is to save lives, not take them,” added Hite. “This is the only profession you’re allowed to take the lives of your customers and we take that very seriously. It’s not easy to live with that. Not everyone in the community with their pants sagging is your enemy and not everyone wearing a suit is your friend.”
With 1,400 officers on duty and more than 55 in training, the IMPD staff continues to stress they cannot end violence alone.
“It’s going to take us, the whole city,” said Coatie. “There is no such thing as ‘what are the police going to do?’ because once the community is involved, there is no separation.”
The next First Friday Conversation is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2015 from 7 – 8 p.m. at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 720 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St.
