Indianapolis homicides on track for eight-year low INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The city’s top cop and top violence prevention officer on Tuesday both said community engagement has been key to driving down crime this year. As of Tuesday morning, with less than 40 hours remaining in 2025, the Ind ianapolis Metropolitan Police Department had counted 137 murders and another 26 noncriminal homicides, for a total of 163 homicides. At this time last year, Indianapolis had logged a total of 212 homicides. If this year’s numbers hold, Indianapolis will finish the year with its fewest homicides since 2016’s total of 149. IMPD Chief Chris Bailey said he credits the city’s Gun Violence Reduction Strategy, which includes violence interrupters through Indy Peace, as well as independent community and faith-based groups, and a stronger emphasis on proactive policing. Bailey said city leadership’s investments in the department itself have been a factor as well, including going from two crime analysts in 2021 to nearly 25 this year. “Each one of these numbers represents a life, a family that has been devastated by this loss, but I’m also proud of the detectives and the professional staff that helped us get to this point,” Bailey said. “We’ve had over 30 people that were not killed this year compared to last year, and that represents families that are also still intact.” IMPD statistics show significant drops across all crime categories, compared to last year and the past five years. Murders are down nearly 20% compared to 2024, and nearly 45% since they peaked in 2021. Non-fatal shootings are down by 21% over the past year, and 43% over the past five years, while robberies have dropped by 18.5% and 42.3% over those same respective periods. Rev. Dr. Charles Harrison said those numbers match his observations on the ground with the Indy Ten Point Coalition. He said the city’s strategy of trying to interrupt the cycle of violence has helped groups trying to fix the root causes of crime. Harrison also said he believes officials have done a better job of holding repeat violent offenders accountable. “I think the more we can collaborate in our efforts on the ground across the city, I think you’re going to continue to see those numbers decline,” Harrison said. Harrison said much of the violence the Ten Point Coalition is seeing results from interpersonal conflict, more so than gangs or drug-related violence. The city’s Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS) has been extensively involved with implementing the Gun Violence Reduction Strategy. Director Andrew Merkley said as part of the strategy, violence interrupters are engaging directly with at-risk people in the city’s hardest-hit neighborhoods. In addition, he said OPHS works to address other factors that can drive people to commit crimes, such as housing or food insecurity. “If we can address those upstream and get folks who have been impacted by the justice system connected with resources and housing stability, food access, if we can do those things, we will build trust and rapport in our communities, and I think we have demonstrated that we can reduce crime in the city,” Merkley said. Merkley said he hopes to expand the city’s Clinician-Led Community Response, or CLCR, teams, which include licensed behavioral health professionals who respond to mental health calls in place of law enforcement. CLCR teams already operate 24/7 in Indianapolis’ downtown, east, southeast, and north districts. He also said OPHS recently changed its Elevation Grant program to a two-year grant cycle, and revised its metrics to help guide how those funds are used. An October Gallup poll on perceptions of crime found 49% of Americans believe crime is worse now than a year ago, the lowest such reading since the early 2000s and a precipitous drop from 2023, when 77% of Americans believed crime was rising. Harrison said perceptions of crime in hard-hit areas in particular are influenced by other factors, such as shots-fired incidents, which might not always lead to injury, but further traumatize neighborhoods. Bailey said exposure to stories about crime in the city also shape people’s views. “I understand that the statistics don’t tell the whole story and there’s still a perception that crime is out of control, but if you take the time and look at things historically, I think that you’ll see, even in our spikes over the last five to 10 years, there have been much worse times for criminal behavior in our community,” Harrison said. “If you aren’t reporting crime, then your police department cannot help you solve that problem.” Bailey said his top priority for 2026 is improving the department’s recruitment and retention rates. So far, IMPD’s next recruit class, scheduled for August, is on track to have about 40 more prospective officers than the most recent class. In addition, he said he plans to announce new investments in facilities, and in officer wellness and safety over the coming months. ...read more read less