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Here’s what the 2025 proposed city budget wants to fund public safety

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Here’s what the 2025 proposed city budget wants to fund public safety


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INDIANAPOLIS — At the city-county council meeting Monday, Mayor Joe Hogsett said public safety has been one of the highest priorities over the last eight years and will remain so for the 2025 proposed city budget.

Totaling $1.6 billion, public safety initiatives account for 41% of the allocated expenses of the 2025 proposed budget at $637 million. Hogsett said that 2022-2023 saw a 32% decrease in criminal homicides.

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“And the number continues to trend downward in 2024,” Hogsett said. “Effective today, we are down another 8.2% from this very same day one year ago.”

2025 proposed city budget: COVID rent aid will expire, Georgia Street gets upgrade in proposed Indy budget

Indianapolis police and firefighters

The budget includes money for 1,743 officers, a goal that the department has tried to but failed to reach since 2019. To meet that goal, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will add a third new recruit class.

There will be a continued investment in technology for the department’s license plate readers, public safety cameras, dash cameras, and body-worn cameras.

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Funding would also go toward purchasing a new mobile traffic safety command center, new car printers and scanners for one-third of the department’s patrol officers, and investments in IMPD’s non-sworn personnel to fill professional and technical positions, shifting seven officers back to police work.

Indianapolis Fire Department would get $258 million — about $3 million more than last year— to maintain its 10-year fleet replacement program, fund a new arson unit and build new fire stations. This includes a budget for a recruit class in January 2025.

Violence prevention in Indianapolis

Hogsett said the plan will continue to fund 24/7 staff for its clinician-led community response teams in both downtown and the east IMPD district to divert people in a mental health crisis from the criminal justice system. Other proposed funding includes:

  • Investing in community programs to help reduce homelessness, treat addictions, and address mental health challenges.
  • Funding a master leasing program for 42 additional units for unhoused individuals and families as part of the 200-unit project created by the Mayor’s Office housing initiative.
  • Violence reduction and intervention initiatives managed by the Office of Public Health and Safety, including the Witness Protection program, and the Group Violence Intervention program.
  • $250,000 continued funding for the Tenant Legal Assistance Project and the Eviction Avoidance Project with Indiana Legal Services.
  • Increased funding for community mental health centers operating in Marion County.

Criminal justice initiatives

Hogsett’s budget also allocates $313 million toward criminal justice expenses including:

  • Funding for Forensics Services Agency to outsource a subset of cases, allowing them to reduce processing time on firearm and sexual assault cases.
  • Funding to support recruitment and retention programs in the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
  • Additional investment in technology to improve communication and jail maintenance in the Adult Detention Center.
  • Funding the debt payments associated with the soon-to-be-opened Forensics and Coroner facilities, as well as the Youth and Family Services Center, all of which will replace outdated and inefficient buildings.

Infrastructure and community investment

The budget allocates nearly $200 million for roads, bridges, and other greenway improvements across Indianapolis neighborhoods in 2025 with more than 30% of funding across the 5-year capital plan to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.

  • $68.4 million for stormwater system improvements across neighborhoods in 2025.
  • Additional personnel dedicated to trail maintenance as a result of the historic $50 million investment through the Circle City Forward initiative and Lily Foundation grant.
  • $7 million in grant funding for the Department of Parks and Recreation to build an archery range at Riverside Adventure Park and additional funding for park beautification.
  • Increased local funding for animal care supplies to reduce reliance on donors and investment in professional kennel cleaning to free up staff to focus on animal care.
  • Technological investment to improve the Mayor’s Action Center request portal for increased transparency between citizens reporting concerns and the City’s progress toward alleviating them.

Funding would also support the creation of a safety ambassador position for parks. The goal is to begin developing a program dedicated to the enhanced public safety in parks.

It would fund a position in the Department of Public Works to begin developing a program dedicated to enhanced public safety in parks and implementation of the Vision 0 plan to help eliminate all serious injuries and deaths from traffic crashes.

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Public safety and criminal justice committee

City-county council committees are reviewing the budget before it’s voted on this fall, and the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee met Wednesday, Aug. 14 for its first round of discussions on the Marion County Coroner’s Office, Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency and the Office of Public Health and Safety.

They will vote on the budget at a later date with the final budget vote happening later this fall.

Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formally Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.



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Indianapolis, IN

Citizens Energy responding to reported water main break on northwest side of Indianapolis

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Citizens Energy responding to reported water main break on northwest side of Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS — Crews from Citizens Energy are responding to a reported water main break on the northwest side of Indianapolis.

Officials with the company confirmed that the water main break occurred near the intersection of W 62nd St. and Georgetown Road.

Just before 8 a.m. on Tuesday, water was seen by FOX59/CBS4 crews coming up from the street. Cars had to drive through standing water near Mount Pleasant Baptist Church and Northwestway Park on Tuesday morning.

Officials with Citizens did not provide a timetable on when the water main break would be fixed.

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This story will be updated as more information becomes available.



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Pacers rookie Kam Jones arrested after police chase on I-65

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Pacers rookie Kam Jones arrested after police chase on I-65


INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers rookie guard Kameron “Kam” Jones has been arrested and booked into jail after police say he was driving recklessly and started a police chase on I-65.

Jones, a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, was booked into the Marion County Jail on Monday morning and preliminarily charged with misdemeanor reckless driving and felony resisting arrest.

Indiana State Police said a trooper tried around 10 a.m. to pull over a car that was “very erratic” and driving recklessly on Interstate 65. A chase reportedly began near the I-65 North Split and ended near the Fletcher Avenue exit, where the driver was identified as Jones.

Online jail records show Jones is currently being held in the Marion County Adult Processing Center and that a bond has not been set as of 1 p.m.

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Kameron Jones mugshot

The 23-year-old out of Marquette was selected 38th overall by the Spurs in June before being traded to Indiana. The Pacers signed Jones to a four-year contract in early July, but he has yet to make his NBA debut while dealing with a reported back injury.

The Pacers acknowledged Jones’ arrest in a statement sent Monday afternoon to FOX59/CBS4:

“We are aware of the situation involving Kam Jones. We are in the process of gathering additional information and will not have any additional comment on the matter at this time.”

If convicted of resisting law enforcement, a level 6 felony, Jones could be sentenced to up to 2.5 years in jail and fined up to $10,000.

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4 things learned from Colts Week 7 performance vs. Chargers

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4 things learned from Colts Week 7 performance vs. Chargers



Following the Colts’ Week 7 win over the Chargers, here are four things we learned from their performance.

The Indianapolis Colts dominantly improve to 6-1 as they take down the Los Angeles Chargers 38-24 to capture their third straight win. 

At this point, it feels like clockwork how Indianapolis’s offense produces. Quarterback Daniel Jones recorded yet another two-touchdown, 200+ passing yard performance with no turnovers, while running back Jonathan Taylor dominated on the ground. 

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Rookie tight end Tyler Warren added to his already impressive rookie campaign, while Michael Pittman Jr. is once again one of Jones’ favorite targets. Receiver Alec Pierce played his second consecutive game after missing two straight games due to injury, and was the Colts’ leader in receiving yards (98). 

Let’s highlight the top takeaways from Indianapolis’ Week 7 victory. 

Jonathan Taylor is the MVP frontrunner

Taylor just recorded his third game this season with a hat trick of rushing touchdowns, after entering the game leading the NFL in carries (115), rushing yards (603), and rushing touchdowns (7).

He recorded 16 carries for 94 rushing yards and three scores, and averaged nearly six yards per carry.

It feels like there isn’t anything that Taylor can’t do, as he also tallied three receptions for 38 receiving yards, his second-most receiving yards on the year. 

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Alec Pierce is getting back into a groove. 

After missing two straight games, Pierce made his return to the Colts roster in Week 6 vs. the Cardinals, where he recorded two receptions on four targets for 48 yards, but still did not look 100%. 

Pierce led Indianapolis in targets (10) and caught five receptions for 98 yards. He led the Chargers in receiving yards, tallying 29 more than tight end Tyler Warren, who finished second-best on the team. 

He hauled in a 48-yard deep ball, matching his production from Week 6 in a single play, and averaged 19.6 yards per catch. 

The Colts won the turnover battle

Indianapolis’s defense helped its offense en route to a 38-24 victory with two interceptions against Justin Herbert, who had only four interceptions through the first six weeks of the season. 

When Herbert can protect the football on offense, the Chargers are 2-1, but when he turns the ball over, they are 1-3. In fact, in the last three games, Herbert has thrown an interception, and the Chargers have lost. 

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His two interceptions came at the hands of defensive tackle Grover Stewart and safety Nick Cross, who both recorded their first interception of the season. 

Stewart recorded the first interception of the game, after batting Herbert’s pass midway through the second quarter, that turned into a tip drill where he recovered his own tipped ball. 

Cross picked off a potential touchdown pass from Herbert, intended for Quinten Johnston, to retain a 20-3 lead late in the first half. 

The Colts won the turnover battle 2-0 after not to give the ball away on offense. 

DeForest Buckner set a personal season high in sacks

Indianapolis defensive tackle Buckner entered the game with just a single sack on the season, but doubled his production against the Chargers. He sacked Herbert twice, the most on the team.

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The Colts finished the game with three sacks, pushing the Chargers back 29 yards, and recorded 15 quarterback hits, with Buckner being responsible for four of them. 

Buckner finished the game with five tackles, four solo tackles, and two sacks, adding to his 18 solo tackles and single sack on the season. 



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