INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis will invest in a series of programs in an effort to combat a rise in homicides and non-fatal shootings, city leaders announced Thursday.
Mayor Joe Hogsett said the city will spend approximately $3.3 million on programs that focus on mental health, domestic violence reduction, juvenile intervention and law enforcement technology.
"The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the mounting struggles within our communities and, frankly, within our own homes," he said. "As we work to lift the stigma surrounding mental health, we must address resources toward unresolved mental health issues and unaddressed trauma that have strained our friends and our neighbors alike."
There have been at least 113 homicides in Marion County in 2021, compared to 85 in the same time span in 2020.
The investments in community-based programs include:
- $680,000 to expand staffing at the Assessment and Intervention Center on the new Community Justice Center campus
- $390,000 toward juvenile intervention
- $370,000 toward domestic violence reduction
- $350,000 for mental health capabilities, which includes adding mental health expertise to dispatch, along with juvenile mental health and trauma resources
Additional spending on law enforcement technology includes:
- $620,000 to increase staff levels for data work and target people most likely to commit or experience gun violence
- $550,000 for situational awareness and community interaction systems, and to enhance information-gathering and intelligence work
- $180,000 to upgrade internal technology infrastructure and hardware
- $170,000 for an officer intervention program that will provide an early warning when officers deviate from IMPD standards
"The investments announced today will add key elements for our approach," Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Randal Taylor said.
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 the news conference below:
