Mayor Joe has funded the creation of hundreds of new IMPD officers and invested in anti-violence programs to make Indianapolis safer, with violence reduction teams working in neighborhoods alongside IMPD and helping people with substance abuse and mental health issues seek treatment.
In 2021, Mayor Joe launched the city’s 3-year, $150 million violence reduction strategy with 100 new police officer positions, $9 million for modern policing technology, and $45 million for grassroots organizations guiding at-risk residents towards better outcomes with the Peacemaker program and Indy Peace Fellowship.
2022 saw the largest single-year decrease in murders in the history of IMPD.
Police staffing continues to be a national problem, but Mayor Joe is leading the way in attracting new talent to join IMPD. Since taking office, Mayor Joe has increased pay for IMPD officers by 55%. In 2023, Mayor Joe added a hiring bonus on top of the pay increase, which makes IMPD’s starting salary one of the highest in the Midwest.
Mayor Joe’s criminal justice reform plan aims to break the cycle of crime and violence by addressing its root causes, he’s measuring success based on lives-saved, not lives-detained. From putting new tools in the hands of our law enforcement officers to opening our new community justice center, he will continue to prioritize and invest in criminal justice reform.
- Mayor Joe prioritized the expansion of mental health services by securing $2 million in the 2023 budget to launch a 911 crisis response team led entirely by mental health professionals who would respond when residents are enduring a mental health crisis
- In 2021, Mayor Joe opened the Assessment and Intervention Center, in partnership with Eskenazi Health, designed to provide mental health services to those in need, helping to save taxpayer dollars and keep non-violent offenders of jail and receiving services and treatment