INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention on Monday night was conducting its yearly homelessness census.

Volunteers took to the streets to count how many people in Indianapolis are experiencing homelessness. The count includes people living in shelters, transitional housing, and unsheltered locations.
The count is federally mandated and has been required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development since 2005.

Along with the count, volunteers carry clothing, hygiene items and other supplies.

Volunteer Aaron Shaw said, “Out there on the streets, they run into a lot of issues and a lot of chaos and problems. We just like to be out there to give them somebody to talk to, a bridge between them and the services that are needed.”

The data will be used for annual planning and to find which areas in the city need the most resources.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — David Reick, president of Crown Hill Cemetery and the Crown Hill Foundation, joined News 8 on Daybreak to discuss an event that’s taking place Thursday at Crown Hill Cemetery.

The event “Do Not Omit the Obit” focuses on the history of obituaries in Indianapolis as part of a speaker series. A discussion will be lead on the significance of obituaries as cultural artifacts, reflecting societal norms and changes more than 150 years.

The event will take place in the Gothic Chapel at 6 p.m., with fewer than ten tickets remaining for attendees interested in exploring how obituaries have evolved over the years, including their impact from technology and social media.

Reick noted that attendees will see examples of 150- to 200-year-old obituaries, which were once purely informational, now reflecting deeper societal changes. The discussion will dive into how memorialization has shifted from printed newspapers to lasting online tributes, particularly through platforms like Facebook, where obituaries are treated as living memorials.

Future topics in the speaker series include the role of ceremonial funeral teams, featuring discussions on funerals for notable figures such as former Vice President Dick Cheney and former President Jimmy Carter. Additionally, Reick mentioned upcoming talks on Civil War POW camps in Indianapolis and the conservation of Indiana’s landscape, emphasizing the diverse cultural and historical influences of the area. This is the second of five talks in the series.

Attendees interested in the event can still purchase tickets, which are selling for $10.

Remaining speaker series events are planned throughout the coming months, each exploring unique aspects of cultural history and memorialization.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Several police officers with the Indianapolis and Lawrence police departments were hailed Tuesday as heroes after they saved two young siblings from an icy pond in Lawrence.

Police say both children have fully recovered, but their father, Daschon Sims, 28, died at a hospital.

Police body cameras caught it all, including the audio from officers and a child being rescued.

“There’s a car in the water. That’s probably what’s going on.”

“Grab the rope its right next to you. Get it! Reach it, buddy. Reach. Grab on tight. Pull. We got you! We got you! Keep your head up. Is that another kid right there? Yeah, that’s my little sister.”

The heart-racing scene played out just before midnight Jan. 12 when the car went into the retention pond on Pendleton Way.

Eight officers in all carried out the daring rescue, using rope bags to pull a father and the two children to the shore. All of them were rushed into the hands of paramedics.

One of the children, a little girl, was in desperate need and received CPR.

Officer Erica Eder of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Tuesday, “As soon as we took the little girl to the ambulance is when I realized the magnitude of what we just did. I think after we did our part, we were like, ‘Oh wow, we could’ve just saved a life.’”

The officers gathered to receive medals of valor for their heroic efforts.

The officers also got to meet the two children they rescued, after they recovered, another moment they’ll never forget. Eder said, “Because I remember what she looked like when I pulled her out of the water. I remember when she was lifeless. So looking at her with life in her eyes and her getting to hug me,
that’s amazing. We never see anything like that. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

IMPD Chief Chris Bailey said Tuesday that the officers didn’t hesitate to help. “This was an extremely dangerous situation. The darkness and freezing conditions in the murky water made for an almost impossible situation. The bravery and teamwork shown by the Lawrence police department and IMPD made the impossible possible.”

Bailey says the officers acted without hesitation, in freezing conditions and at great personal risk, saying their courage deserves to be recognized and honored.