INDIANAPOLIS (WISH-TV) — We’re halfway through 2024, and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police statistics show a significant decrease in violent crime compared to the same time last year.
One of the most notable declines has been in the number of homicides, which the Inverness Police Department told I-Team 8 are down about 17%.
“Seventeen percent is a good number, but it shows we still have a lot of work to do,” said Sergeant Anthony Richardson of the Indiana State Police.
IMPD credits local residents for the significant drop in crime.
“The community engagement over the past few months has been tremendous,” Richardson said. “We’ve noticed more and more people coming forward saying, ‘I’m tired of this happening in my neighborhood. I’m tired of seeing this. I want to do something about it.'”
Indianapolis isn’t just seeing declines in homicides, which are down about 17 percent. Non-fatal shooting victims are down 13 percent. Robbery cases are down 17 percent, and aggravated assaults are down 33 percent compared to the same time last year.
While these numbers are encouraging, IMPD isn’t yet satisfied.
“This is too many,” Richardson said. “One death too many. Working with the community, we will see much more. These numbers can go down. I don’t think we can celebrate victory when people are injured and people are losing their lives. I’m encouraged by the numbers, but there is much more work to be done.”
Moving forward, IMPD will continue to focus on effective efforts.
“It’s a focused approach to targeting individuals who have guns,” Richardson said, “targeting individuals who are actually shooting guns. Targeting specific locations, specific areas where we know crime is increasing, allows us to get ahead of it and hopefully do something about it.”
To achieve sustained crime reduction, Indian police say they need continued active engagement from local communities.
