Indianapolis, IN

‘I won’t say I was perfect,’ but former IMPD chief Randal Taylor was ‘Right one for the job’

Published

9 months ago

June 10, 2025

Press Room

‘I won’t say I was perfect,’ but former IMPD chief Randal Taylor was ‘Right one for the job’

Taylor, 60, is retiring from IMPD after a 38-year career in law enforcement
Taylor was IMPD chief from 2020 to 2024.

A red light, a speeding ticket, and a persistent cop.

That’s what former Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Randal Taylor says led him to a career in law enforcement. Taylor, who grew up in Illinois, said he ran a red light in Champagne and was pulled over by an officer who would leave a lasting impact.

“His name was Richard Atkins,” said Taylor, now commander of IMPD’s Victim Services Unit. “He gave me a ticket and everything. At that time, I was working in a White Hen Pantry, and he would come in and just start talking to me and ask me about a career in law enforcement. I reminded him that he gave me a ticket, and he’d be like, ‘Well, did you learn a lesson from it?’”

That one question led Taylor to 38 years in law enforcement, including 32 years in Indianapolis. He served as IMPD chief from 2020 to 2024, leading the department during a global pandemic and civil unrest against police brutality after the killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin.

He stepped down to make way for the current chief, Christopher Bailey, and has been a commander for the last year. Now Taylor is set to retire on June 16.

‘I made some mistakes:’ A pandemic, protests and police relations

Since stepping down as chief, Taylor’s role within the department included working with the chaplain’s office, Crime Stoppers, victim assistants, and the non-fatal shooting advocates. They’d report to him with the effort of ensuring all victims were resourced with support and help.

“I still wanted to make sure that I was serving people,” Taylor said. “Some communication between family members and detectives isn’t always where you want it to be, so I try to make sure that we do what we can. Sometimes we can’t give them the answers that they want, but we at least make sure they’re aware that we’re here for them.”

When he reflects on his time as chief, Taylor said he always strived to do what’s right and fair for both the community and members of the department.

“I won’t say I was perfect,” Taylor told IndyStar.

Before the world was reacting to George Floyd’s death, Indianapolis was dealing with its own officer-involved shooting that caused community outcry. Dreasjon Reed, 21, was fatally shot by Officer DeJoure Mercer during a foot pursuit in May 2020.

Taylor said, “I made some mistakes” when it came to Reed’s case, which he regrets.

“I was still new to the chief thing, you know,” Taylor said. “People were telling me, ‘You just need to be quiet, don’t talk about it,’ and all this kind of stuff. Well, the problem with that was the public started filling in their own narrative, and they were wrong in that narrative.”

Taylor felt that if he had gotten ahead of the case with facts first, a false narrative surrounding Reed’s shooting wouldn’t have stuck with people’s already mistrust of the police.

“It’s unfortunate that young man lost his life, but one of the things I was glad that I did was encourage the state police to handle that investigation. ‘Cause I, myself, and Deputy Chief (Kendale) Adams were initially in the pursuit.”

And amongst the national outcry on police brutality, Taylor remembers being on Luger Plaza with protesters during protests downtown.

“‘Cause I didn’t like what I saw either,” Taylor said. “I’ve seen a lot of things, good and bad, in law enforcement.”

He said his decision to step down as chief wasn’t a direct result of criticism heard from community members.

“No one forced me out. It’s something I prayed about for a long time, and so it just so happened to fall close to their criticisms,” Taylor said.

Policies implemented during Taylor’s tenure

Like many departments across the United States, IMPD implemented body-worn cameras in 2020, and more than 1,400 body-worn cameras have been distributed and equipped to the department’s officers. In 2020, the department began publicly releasing critical incident videos involving any use of force by officers.

Before beginning to release these videos, Taylor met with a community group that reviewed and provided feedback on the videos and the process for developing them.

The Use of Force Review Board reviews officers’ use of force and then determines whether their actions violated IMPD policies. This begins once prosecutors and police have completed the criminal investigation of an incident. Taylor, with the input from the community, rewrote the Use of Force policy to include provisions guiding officers’ proportionate use of force, the duty to intervene, a requirement to provide medical aid, and strictly prohibiting the use of chokeholds.

He also prohibited the use of no-knock search warrants after Breanna Taylor was shot and killed by Officer Jonathan Mattingly during a raid on her home in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2020.

Under Taylor’s leadership, IMPD’s Use of Force Board and General Orders Boards were created. The General Orders Board examines police policies and considers possible changes. Both have a majority civilian representation.

Taylor’s thoughts on current IMPD Chief Chris Bailey

Taylor, who worked as assistant chief under two different chiefs before him, said that Bailey was always in the mix.

“You know, Chris and I go way back,” Taylor said. “He’s different from me. I, myself, am more of a people person. Not saying that he’s not, but some people have just said earlier today, they thought I was the right man for the job at that particular time. I’d say the same thing about Bailey now.”

So, what’s next for the former chief?

Taylor said he originally had no desire to climb the ranks to become a chief. He only wanted to be a detective. Taylor and his wife moved to Indianapolis in 1993, and he worked across units, including undercover narcotics, child abuse, internal affairs, and financial crimes.

The Indianapolis Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office were separate agencies at that time.

He was a sergeant and lieutenant captain before the departments merged in 2007, and from there, he rose through the ranks before the mayor offered him the position of chief.

Unsurprisingly, Taylor said he still wants to serve the community in some capacity, whether with the police department or a sheriff’s office.

The former chief, who turned 60 this year, said outside of policing, he’s into motorcycles. He’s also looking forward to spending more time with his family, including his two sons and daughter.

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, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis isn’t known for skyscrapers, but these are the 10 tallest buildings

Published

10 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Indianapolis isn’t known for skyscrapers, but these are the 10 tallest buildings

Salesforce Tower is the tallest building in Indianapolis, standing at 701 feet with 49 floors.
The top three tallest buildings were all completed between 1969 and 1990.
One of the top ten, the Signia by Hilton, is currently under construction and expected to be finished in 2026.
Many of the city’s tallest buildings have been known by several different names over the years.

While Indianapolis isn’t exactly known for it’s tall buildings, we do have quite a few that tower above the city. The tallest, is visible nearly 10.5 miles outside the city.

These are the 10 tallest buildings in Indianapolis, according to Skyscraper Center.

1. Salesforce Tower

Salesforce Tower is the tallest building in Indianapolis. It’s located at 111 Monument Circle.

Construction on this building was completed in 1990. The office building boasts 49 floors and towers over the city at 701 feet tall.

It has also been known as the Chase Tower, the Bank One Tower and the American Fletcher Bank Tower.

2. One America Tower

The second tallest building in Indianapolis is the One America Tower. It is located at 200 N Illinois St., has 38 floors and is 533 feet tall.

The building was completed in 1982 and was previously known as the American United Life Insurance Tower.

3. One Indiana Square

The One Indiana Square building is the third tallest building in Indianapolis at 504 feet tall.

The building was completed in 1969 and has 37 floors. It has also been previously known as Union Planters Bank, Indiana National Bank Tower, INB Tower and NBD Bank Tower.

4. Signia by Hilton Indianapolis

Signia by Hilton, previously known as the Indianapolis Convention Center Hotel, is currently under construction, but is the fourth largest building in Indy.

The building is set to have 37 floors and be 441 feet tall once construction is complete, which is expected to happen in 2026.

5. Market Tower

Market Tower, located at 10 West Market Street, is the fifth tallest building in Indianapolis at 421 feet.

The building was completed in 1988 and has 32 floors. It has also been known as the Mansur Center.

6. 300 North Meridian

300 North Meridian, which shares a name with its address, is 408 feet tall and has 28 floors.

The building was completed in 1989 and is the sixth tallest building in Indianapolis.

7. BMO Plaza

BMO Plaza, located at 135 North Pennsylvania St. is 401 feet tall.

The building has 31 floors and was completed in 1988. It has also been known as M&I Plaza, First Indiana Plaza and Marshall & Isley Plaza.

8. JW Marriott Indianapolis Downtown

Perhaps one of the most visually recognizable on this list, the JW Mariott Indianapolis, located at 10 South West St. is the eighth tallest building in Indy.

The large blue hotel was completed in 2011, stands at 376 feet and has 34 floors. Over the years, the hotel has put giant images on the side of the building to celebrate current events in both sports and pop culture.

9. City-County Building

The City-County Building, located at 200 East Washington St. is the the ninth tallest building in Indianapolis.

The building was completed in 1962 and is 372 feet tall with 28 floors.

10. 101 West Ohio

The tenth and final building on this list is 101 West Ohio. The building, which shares a name with its address, is 360 feet tall and has 22 floors.

The office building was completed in 1987 and was previously known as Old National Financial Center.

Katie Wiseman is a trending news reporter for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Contact her at klwiseman@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Bluesky @katiewiseman and X, formerly Twitter, at @itskatiewiseman.

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Indianapolis, IN

IMPD reinforces downtown safety as crowds grow with warmer weather

Published

22 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

IMPD reinforces downtown safety as crowds grow with warmer weather

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Metropolitan Police Department is reinforcing downtown safety as crowds grow with warmer weather.

This comes after a violent weekend that included an early Monday morning shooting, and in a separate incident, an officer and a security guard were hit by an impaired driver.

Police say the shooting that happened Monday near Maryland and Meridian Streets was caused by a fight that broke out at bar in the area and escalated into a shooting at a nearby parking lot. IMPD says a woman has been arrested in connection with the shooting.

IMPD Downtown District Commander Shane Foley says officers were able to take control of the situation quickly.

“Officers were there when the shooting occured, and then because of their presence, they were able to make a very quick arrest, and arrest another individual for possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon,” Foley said. He says the response from the officers is exactly what he expects to see as the temperatures continue to get warmer.

People who like to spend their time downtown on the weekends say they enjoy that there are things to do, but think the violence is getting out of hand.

“It just gets crazy at night for real, and then, everybody just drinking and stuff and they can’t control their liquor,” Indianapolis resident Schuyler Landrum said.

“Chill out man, you gotta know your limits when you’re drinking because stuff like that can happen. People who don’t go to clubs and stuff, we’re trying to have fun downtown but you guys are getting wild and drunk and stuff, so lets just help each other man,” resident Peyton Bush said.

Officers say they hear the public’s concerns and are doing what they can to prevent incidents before they escalate. Last week, IMPD announced the installation of new public cameras downtown to help assist with monitoring and crime prevention.

“If you come downtown and you engage in illegal activity, because we have people all over the place, the likelihood of you being arrested is increased. We’re being very proactive with our policing, and if we need to be reactive in making arrests, we’re doing that as well,” Foley said.

People who are frequently downtown say that they hope things get better, but one man says he believes he’s noticed an increase in crime downtown, especially among the youth. “Start thinking before you act, you know? It’s just the way it is,” he said.

“Our officers are working diligently to keep everybody safe. As we have more events, we’re going to have more officers downtown. We want people to not only be safe, but feel safe, visiting, living, working in Downtown Indianapolis,” Foley said.

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Indianapolis, IN

Mild temperatures to give way to severe storms in central Indiana | Mar. 9, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Mild temperatures to give way to severe storms in central Indiana | Mar. 9, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Mild temperatures are expected Monday, with severe storms possible mid-week.

Flooding threat continues:

Rivers remain elevated across southern portions of central Indiana, where widespread minor to moderate river flooding continues south of Interstate 70. This is likely to persist well into the end of the week, with renewed rain chances moving in Tuesday and continuing into Wednesday.

Today:

High pressure will keep us quiet across much of the state, with mostly sunny skies. Expect high temperatures to reach the low 70s, which could tie or push very close to the old record in Indianapolis (72° set in 1878).

Tuesday:

Temperatures will be even warmer heading into Tuesday with a strong southerly wind. Highs will reach the mid-70s. The record high for that Tuesday is 74°, set back in 2009.

Strong storms Tuesday/Wednesday:

A cold front will move through the state and trigger scattered showers and thunderstorms late Tuesday night into the overnight hours.

Some isolated strong storms will be possible late Tuesday night. Much of the state is under a Level 2 out of 5 risk for severe storms, with all modes of severe weather in play.

Heavy rain Wednesday:

A second round of showers and thunderstorms will move through on Wednesday. While some damaging wind gusts could occur, the primary concern will be heavy rain and the ongoing flooding risk. Much of the state could see anywhere from a half inch to an inch and a half of rain, with some locally higher amounts that will worsen river flooding in the southern half of the state.

7 day forecast:

Sharply colder temperatures will move in for Thursday, as highs fail to get out of the 40s. We should see a nice bump in temperatures by Friday and through the weekend, with highs in the mid to upper 50s for Friday and Saturday, and potentially near 60° on Sunday.