“Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett wants the city’s road crews at the Department of Public Works to operate like police officers working their beats.
Hogsett’s 2020 budget proposal for DPW, which has an $8 million, or 4% increase, includes a plan that’s essentially “DPW’s version of community beat policing,” said department director Dan Parker. The proposal, Parker said, will “turn DPW from a reactive force to a proactive force.”
The $8 million proposed DPW budget increase would, among other investments, allow the department to hire 15 more street operators. Street operators take care of nearly 250 different tasks, including snow removal, repairing potholes, clearing debris and repairing sidewalks.”