INDIANAPOLIS — Madeline Ford wonders what happened outside her home Wednesday night.
“I’m stunned. This is my sixth year living here, and it’s gotten worse,” Ford said.
Police say the body of 58-year-old Darrell Williams was found after he was shot and killed near Emerson and University Avenues on the east side of Indianapolis.
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“To see a dead man right in front of my door, it’s cause for concern,” Ford said.
It comes when IMPD’s Chief of Police Chris Bailey says the department needs more officers to keep residents safe.
“They are tired, we are all tired,” Bailey said.
IMPD’s 2025 proposed budget could bring change. The department is set to receive about $338 million, 4% more than this year’s budget.
A lot of that money will go towards recruitment efforts and officer salaries.
“We have to be better as an administration to make sure we don’t have tired cops that make bad decisions,” Bailey said.
Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police President Rick Snyder agrees. He understands the reality officers face every day.
“We need to figure out how we are going to retain the officers that we have first, boost their morale and in return, you will become potential recruits for others to want to work in Indianapolis,” Snyder said.
Snyder hopes the additional money allocated in the budget will help.
“These police officers that we have, they are going to serve, they are going to protect,” Snyder said. “The question is, are they going to do that in Indianapolis or another community?”
It is an effort to make sure people like Ford and her neighbors are safe in their communities.
“Be watchful and mindful. I wish neighbors would be neighbors. It’s hard to have good neighbors now,” Ford said.
The budget is up for a final vote on October 7 at the full City-County Council Meeting.
There will be an opportunity for public comment regarding the budget on September 23.
