Like many people in Indianapolis, Brandon Randall is fed up with frequent reports about violent crime, especially homicides among local youth.
“We cannot sit by and just watch our kids die,” said Randall, who works in the Lawrence Township school district but also spends much of his time organizing anti-violence activities. “We have to keep fighting this battle.”
Serious concerns have been raised about violence this summer. Indianapolis experienced 16 homicides in June, followed by a six-day stretch of shootings this month.
On Tuesday, in a stunning example of the city’s predicament, police were called to the 3900 block of North Emerson Avenue on the city’s Eastside, where a man was found critically wounded from several gunshot wounds, just blocks away from the spot where a teenager had been killed the previous day.
Randall was among residents who watched with great interest this week as local officials announced a plan to add 156 police officers on the streets by 2014.
That announcement was made Monday at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s (IMPD) North District headquarters by Mayor Greg Ballard, Public Safety Director Troy Riggs, Deputy Director and CFO Valerie Washington, IMPD Chief Rick Hite and other officials.
Under the plan, 116 officers will be reassigned to patrol functions within the next few weeks, and 40 more will be placed on patrol duty by the end of 2014. In addition, IMPD will have two new recruit classes that will provide a total of 100 new officers by 2015.
Officials presented the plan as the best way to immediately address the spike in violent crime in a manner that is fiscally responsible and keeps pace with the upcoming departure of retiring officers.
“This plan is financially sustainable and also gives the (police) department stable personnel for the next three years,” Riggs said.
Hite noted that many of the officers added to patrols will be placed in areas of the city with the highest rates of crime – zip codes 46201, 46205, 46208, 46222 and 46218.
“Those are the concentrated areas, although we will also look at other areas,” said Hite.
Ballard, a Republican, and the City-County Council, led by Democrats, have both expressed the need for a stronger police presence on city streets. However, they have serious disagreements on how to reach that goal.
Recently, the mayor vetoed a bipartisan council plan that would have used $6 million of the city’s Rebuild Indy fund to pay for a new IMPD recruit class of 60 officers this year. On Monday, the council unsuccessfully attempted to override Ballard’s veto.
Council President Maggie Lewis said action is needed to add new resources to crime-fighting efforts immediately, but that the Ballard administration plan only shifts existing resources around and takes away neighborhood resource officers, which she described as “important partners” in public safety.
“The families in our community are concerned about increasing crime and deserve leadership that prioritizes more officers over a cricket stadium and real solutions that don’t amount to shell games,” Lewis said.
Solutions on the table
While officials work out disagreements on how to fund more police and patrols, residents are considering how much of an impact such an increase would actually have on crime.
According to a report by the Department of Public Safety’s Police Personnel Allocation Efficiency Team, IMPD currently has 1,586 officers serving more than 787,000 people in the metro area, compared to 1,641 last year.
Organizations such as the Fraternal Order of Police have long called for an increase in officers and have expressed concern over how the strain of limited manpower interferes with effective community policing.
Pastor Charles Harrison of Barnes United Methodist Church told reporters that more street officers would help, but should not be viewed as a magic wand that can stop violence.
“We can’t try to solve this violence problem by putting more police on the streets,” said Harrison, a leader of the Ten Point Coalition, an organization that promotes peace on the streets and reaches out to at-risk youth. “We had more police downtown and a young man was still shot and killed.”
Harrison was referring to the July 4 fatal shooting of 16-year-old Monquize Edwards following a fireworks show downtown.
Edwards’ shooting renewed concerns about safety downtown as tens of thousands of people will gather to participate in activities for Indiana Black Expo’s Summer Celebration next week.
During Monday’s press conference, however, Hite made it clear that violence and disorderly conduct will not be tolerated downtown during Summer Celebration, or at any other time.
“I’m saying the same thing I said before: come in peace, come ready to have a great time, but if you come with any other purpose you will be greeted by the police,” Hite said. “We have to take ownership of these gang members and families should say ‘how dare you embarrass the family name,’ and as a collective community say ‘how dare you embarrass us, the largest up and coming city in the Midwest.’”
While unveiling the plan for more patrol officers, Ballard agreed that other steps are needed to reduce violence.
“Crime fighting is a community wide effort,” he said. “It takes the police, parents, pastors, concerned citizens and community groups. We must be in this together.”
Randall believes that more officers in neighborhoods will be effective only if the disconnect between them and some residents of the community is bridged.
“More personal interaction needs to take place to address the us verses them mentality,” Randall said.
He added that youth will behave differently if they are not stereotyped as thugs and instead given expectations for success. He also said more funding should be shifted toward things that would help youth, including job training, neighborhood development and activities at community centers.
“We have to give them positive outlets and make them self-sustainable,” Randall said.
He has also called on people throughout the community to stand united against violence.
To that end, he and other peace activists will hold the Stop the Violence Youth Rally: A Call for Unity set to take place July 15 at Veterans Memorial Plaza downtown. Youth will have a chance to speak out on issues ranging from gangs and unemployment, to what they need from schools. Keynote speaker will be Geoffrey Gaither, a Marion County juvenile court judge.
Emerson Allen, an entrepreneur and former city official, believes there is no “silver bullet” that can solve the problem of violent crime, but that instilling spiritual values in youth and reaching out to them with mentorship will help.
“They must develop the desire not to get into trouble in the first place. They must have the desire to stop what they are doing and walk away,” said Allen, host and creator of the student-produced community talk show, School Talk on WBDG-FM (Giant 90.9) that airs from Ben Davis High School. “They must be encouraged to believe that they can have a good life no matter where they come from, and that although life has its ups and downs they can overcome and succeed.”
Expo ready for safe Summer Celebration
Indiana Black Expo (IBE) leadership predicted an empowering, fun and safe Summer Celebration during a Wednesday press conference at the organization’s headquarters.
The theme for this year’s celebration, Family Strong, was also announced.
“This is a theme with a purpose,” said Tanya Bell, IBE’s president. “We firmly believe the solution to most of the challenges that we confront in the community go back to family values and a structure that facilitates young people being raised in a manner that encourages them to respect themselves, each other and adults.”
Expo organizers announced several measures designed to engage families, including free admission for children 12 and under (accompanied by an adult), a parent empowerment conference, the return of amateur boxing and the Family Fun Zone, and movement of Children’s Day from Monday to Friday July 19, when the most exciting activities are available for kids.
Bell added that the celebration is already off to a good start, with total hotel occupancy sales by guests already exceeding the 2012 total.
Flanked by public safety officials, Expo leaders also addressed concerns that have been raised about safety following recent acts of violent crime downtown, including the shooting death of 16-year-old Monquize Edwards earlier this month.
The Indiana State Police and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will continue to have a significant presence during the celebration to manage crowds and traffic. Ministers and volunteers with the Ten Point Coalition will again be on downtown streets as chaperones for youth.
“The biggest thing we can ask is for parents to watch their children and be cognizant of where they are as they have fun,” said David Bursten, a spokesman for the state police.
IBE spokesman Vernon Williams noted that improvements have been made since 2010, when IBE formed a task force to examine crime downtown.
“Arrests have been down each year. In 2012 there were 22 arrests, and officers have shared with us that there’s more than that during a normal weekend downtown,” Williams said. “The safety at Summer Celebration has been clearly demonstrated.”
IMPD Chief Rick Hite said law enforcement is ready to work with IBE to make the celebration safe, adding, “we cannot allow anyone to disrupt this fine event.”
