Indianapolis, IN
Gov. Braun: Tougher enforcement cuts drug overdoses in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Gov. Mike Braun on Tuesday told News 8 tougher enforcement in Indiana and at the U.S.-Mexico border saved lives last year.
The Indiana State Police said state troopers seized 1,574 pounds of cocaine last year, including 1,100 pounds taken from a U-Haul truck. They also seized 88 pounds of fentanyl powder, nearly 73 pounds of heroin and 191,000 fentanyl pills.
State police said those are records as far as they know. For comparison, state police seized 919 pounds of cocaine, 73 pounds of fentanyl powder and 20 pounds of heroin in 2024.
In an interview with News 8, Braun said state police have changed some of their techniques, including how they approach commercial vehicle enforcement.
“You see the semis get pulled over, that’s generally for a safety check, maybe a taillight being out. Well, they’re going to the next step just to make sure nothing else is amiss,” he said.
Braun credits those enforcement efforts, along with supply disruptions due to the Trump administration’s tougher border policies, with a drop in drug overdose deaths. The state health department’s drug overdose dashboard shows 562 overdose deaths in the first half of 2025 compared to 869 during the same period in 2024, a drop of roughly 35%. The department’s data for 2025 and 2024 is preliminary and is current only through August 5 of last year.
Substance abuse treatment advocates said tougher enforcement and better access to treatment both play a role in reducing overdose deaths. Overdose Lifeline founder Justin Phillips said fentanyl is now present in virtually every illicit drug, so access to the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone is a must. She said the biggest obstacle people battling addiction in Indiana face is being able to navigate the treatment options that are available to them. Phillips said Indiana 211 is an excellent resource.
“Parents and caregivers and people who love someone with substance use disorder need tools to understand how to still navigate those resources and know what questions to ask and how to get their own recovery, because the whole family suffers, not just the individual,” she said.
Phillips said overdose deaths spike in the immediate aftermath of large-scale drug busts because users are unable to work with their usual dealers and turn to new dealers who might sell even more adulterated substances. In Marion County, Overdose Lifeline and the Marion County Health Department run a text alert system called CHARIOT that can alert users to bad batches and large-scale seizures, as well as connect them with naloxone and treatment services.
Braun said he plans to ask for increased funding for substance abuse and mental health programs when lawmakers begin their next budget session in 2027. He said the December revenue forecast indicates the state will have more money to work with than state economists feared during the final days of budget negotiations last year.
“When you are doing things that are working so well, you continue doing it,” he said. “And as we gather information in terms of new things to do, looking at what other states might do, we’ll do all of that. But when you go from over 1,600 overdoses (in 2024) to 562 (in the first half of 2025), that’s an Allelujah moment.”
Users can sign up for CHARIOT by texting that word to 833-274-7039.
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is under a heat advisory with temperatures in the 90s throughout the week.
Many cooling centers will open throughout the state for those that need to find relief from the heat. Hoosiers looking to find cooling centers in their area can contact Indiana 211. To learn more, call 211 or (866) 211-9966.
Avaliable cooling centers can also be found by clicking here.
Marion County
For those living in Indianapolis, Indy Parks has several cooling centers across the city.
Those Cooling Centers are:
- Broad Ripple Park Family Center
- Brookside Park Family Center
- Christian Park Family Center
- Frederick Douglass Park Family Center
- Garfield Park Burrello Family Center
- Krannert Park Family Center
- Grassy Creek Environmental Education Center
- Pride Park Family Center
- Rhodius Park Family Center
- Riverside Park Family Center
- Stanley Strader Park Family Center
- Washington Park Family Center
- Windsor Park Family Center
- Watkins Park Family Center
- Thatcher Park Family Center
For addresses and hours of operations of these cooling centers, click here.
Beech Grove will also have two cooling Centers for residents starting Monday, June 29. Those hours and locations are:
- Beech Grove Senior Center, 602 Main St
- 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday
- Hornet Park Community Center, 5245 Hornet Ave
- 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday
Other Central Indiana Cooling Centers
For addresses and hour of operations of cooling centers below, click here.
Marion
- St. Martin Community Center
- Grant County Family YMCA
- Grant County Rescue Mission
Kokomo
- The Kokomo Rescue Mission
- The Excel Center in Kokomo
Peru
- Community Resource Center
- Miami County Courthouse
- Miami County Health Department
- Miami County YMCA
- Peru City Hall
- Peru Public Library
- Peru Schools Administration Building
INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — The National Weather Service out of Indianapolis has issued a Heat Advisory for all of Central Indiana and a High Heat Warning for parts of northern Indiana. The Advisory and Warning will go into effect at 12 PM on Monday and will run through 8 PM Thursday.
WRTV
A Heat Advisory means that temperatures in the 90s with dew points in the 70s, will lead to Heat Index values reaching 106. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses.
Stay cool:
Drink plenty of fluids, check up on relatives and neighbors, and stay in an air-conditioned room when possible. If outside for extended periods of time, make sure to take frequent breaks in the shade as much as you can.
TODAY
Patchy fog early gives way to a partly sunny, warmer, and much less active day. Highs reach the mid to upper 80s, with a light south breeze around 5 mph. After the unsettled Saturday, this looks like a far more usable day for outdoor plans, with most of central Indiana staying dry from start to finish.
TONIGHT
Mostly clear early, then becoming partly to mostly cloudy toward daybreak. Lows hold in the low 70s, with a light south southeast breeze around 5 mph. Humidity stays elevated overnight, but quiet weather continues and there are no meaningful travel concerns.
TOMORROW
Mostly sunny and hot with highs pushing into the low 90s. A south southwest breeze around 5 to 10 mph keeps the air moving, but the bigger story is the heat and humidity building in. Heat index values around or above 100 are possible during the afternoon, so outdoor plans will need extra water and more breaks.
TOMORROW NIGHT
Mostly clear and warm, with lows around the mid 70s and a light south southwest breeze. There will be very little cooling after sunset, and the muggy feel hangs on through the night. Dry weather remains in place.
TUESDAY
Sunny and even hotter, with highs in the low to mid 90s and a light southwest breeze around 5 mph. This is another day where heat becomes the main impact, and it will not take long to feel it during the afternoon. Outdoor work and summer activities will need to be paced carefully.
TUESDAY NIGHT
Clear and warm again, with lows in the mid 70s and a light southwest wind. The air remains sticky overnight, and there is still no meaningful rain signal for Indianapolis.
WEDNESDAY
Mostly sunny and hot, with highs in the low to mid 90s. Wind stays light, becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Heat remains the main concern, and another uncomfortable summer afternoon is expected across central Indiana.
7 DAY FORECAST
After Saturday’s leftover storm chances fade away, the pattern flips quickly toward heat and humidity. Sunday looks quieter and warmer, then Monday through at least Wednesday trend hot with highs in the 90s and heat index values over 100 possible at times. Rain chances stay very low through midweek, with the next better opportunity for showers and storms showing up later Thursday into Friday. Overall, the bigger concern after tonight becomes summer heat rather than repeated storm chances.
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