Mayor Hogsett details city’s anti-violence initiative
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — There have been 32 murders in Indianapolis since the start of the new year.
Wednesday morning Mayor Joe Hogsett said the city is in a crisis and is offering a solution. The mayor is pouring millions of dollars into several crime-reduction programs. Some of the programs will take years to fully develop, while others are showing results right now, the mayor’s office says.
The mayor is working to get out in front of a crime crisis in the city, saying he inherited the increase in crime and that the murder rate was on the rise when he took office in 2016. Now, he is six weeks into his second term as mayor and he is calling for a more holistic approach to crime.
A.K Wallace started with the Voices Program Wednesday morning, he said his probation officer gave him two options: come into the program or go to juvenile detention for three months.
The Voice Program is partially funded by a crime prevention grant from the mayor’s office, with the intention to keep young offenders out of the justice system through education and jobs programs. The program claims less than 10% of their participants re-offend, however the real results will take years to see.
“We want to do everything we can to make sure they never have access to a gun and never pull the trigger of a gun and that’s where the difference can really make a substantial reduction,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.
Earlier Wednesday morning, Hogsett held a one-hour meeting with reporters outlining a series of city-funded crime-reduction programs, that he feels are showing results right now.
“Today, our message is simple, and it is intentional. If you are in possession of an illegal gun in Indianapolis, we will find you, we will arrest you, we will prosecute you, and we will send you to federal prison for quite a long time. We are coming because we know who you are,” said Hogsett.
The gun crime intelligence center, which according to IMPD Chief of Police Randal Taylor, has resulted in getting hundreds of illegal guns and criminals off Indianapolis streets.
