INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) membership met Thursday to review Mayor Joe Hogsett’s announcement of a $3.3 million investment on programs that focus on mental health, domestic violence reduction, juvenile intervention and law enforcement technology.
FOP president Rick Snyder called Indianapolis a city in crisis.
“A crisis of crime, a crisis of violence and a crisis of confidence. Those who are sworn to protect this city want the residents of Indianapolis and Central Indiana to know that this latest mayor’s announcement does nothing, nothing to address the urgency of the matter at hand,” Snyder said. “Indianapolis Police are declaring a public safety crisis and calling for immediate actions.”
The FOP is calling for the following things:
- Immediately purchase and deploy a gunshot detection system
- Immediately purchase and deploy mobile and static license plate reader systems for the entire downtown mile square
- Staff an arrestee processing system with a judge or magistrate 24 hours a day during peak summer months
- Calling on elected officials to immediately stop low bond and automatic release of repeat convicted violent offenders for 11 felony crimes of violence, including felony battery, criminal confinement and resisting law enforcement
“Unlike the announcement made yesterday, these steps will have an immediate impact on the violence that we are going to be confronted with this summer,” Snyder said. “Once again, Indy can’t wait.”
There have been at least 113 homicides in Marion County in 2021, compared to 85 in the same time span in 2020. Snyder says in May 2021, at least 119 people were shot and 20 people were stabbed. 23 of those people were killed.
Snyder and the FOP plan to submit a request to meet with statehouse leaders to discuss possible state intervention.
“It’s not what we’re looking for to lock everybody up, but we are looking to single out people who are repeatedly victimizing our community, separate them from the community and prevent them from doing that anymore.”
Hogsett's office will submit the funding package to the City-County Council and present it to the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee on June 9.
Watch Snyder’s full comments below:
