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Indianapolis, IN

IMPD unveils technology to track traffic stop demographics

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IMPD unveils technology to track traffic stop demographics


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The technology to track the demographics of everyone pulled over by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department was approved to be taught to officers by the General Orders Board.

If you’re pulled over on the streets of Indianapolis, the pilot program is aimed to find out if that traffic stop was racial profiling.

“This is not about us making more work for the officers. This is not that we believe the officers are doing anything wrong,” said IMPD Deputy Chief Kevin Wethington.

The program was created by IMPD, “It’s easy to use. It’s drop downs. No fill in the blanks,” Wethington said.

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Things like sex, race, how long the stop lasted, why the stop was started, was the person searched, was the car searched, and why was the car searched are all categories officers will have to enter before submitting the form.

If done efficiently, IMPD said it could take 20-30 seconds.

“I don’t know that the line officers are going to be excited about a new mandate to do another step in traffic stops, but I believe the officers will embrace the why behind this,” Wethington said.

The why is to get a detailed picture of who they’re stopping, where, and why, even if that person doesn’t get a ticket or get arrested.

“This will actually answer those questions for the first time,” Wethington said.

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The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana fully supports the implementation of the program because of what the end data could show. It could lead to major changes in how policing is done in Indianapolis.

Is there any concern that there might actually be some sort of profiling, or racial profiling, that’s actively going on, but is just not known because there is no data?

“Yes. At the ACLU we have just seen example after example nation wide of police departments, even those who have policies in place and have good intent, engaging in racial profiling,” said Chris Daley, executive director of the ACLU of Indiana.

Wethington does not have those concerns about what the data will show.

“We stop criminals. We stop traffic offenders. We stop people that need to be stopped,” Wethington said.

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IMPD told I-Team 8, once this program is up and running, they’ll have to pair up with a research team that will sift through all of this data to determine if there is any racial profiling going.



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Indianapolis, IN

Tommy Davidson to perform in Indianapolis, discusses new sitcom and comedy

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Tommy Davidson to perform in Indianapolis, discusses new sitcom and comedy


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Comedian Tommy Davidson, known for his work on “In Living Color” and “The Proud Family,” is set to perform at Helium Comedy Club in Indianapolis on Dec. 19, 20 and 21, 2025.

General admission tickets are priced at $36.97, while reserved tickets are available for $49.39. During a recent interview, Davidson expressed his thoughts on the lack of new Christmas music, emphasizing the need for fresh original songs during the holiday season.

Davidson has been touring with fellow comedian Cat Williams, showcasing their unique styles together. He revealed that their collaborative performances have allowed audiences from various backgrounds to come together and enjoy comedy, stating, “I look at my audience and it’s Latinos looking at whites and whites looking at Asians and Asians looking at Indians. We’re all the same still. And everybody laughing together, which I think is something that is vastly needed right now.”

In addition to his touring, Davidson is producing a new sitcom titled “Varnell,” based on a character from his earlier work. He shared insights into his upbringing, recalling, “Of course, of course. My mom taught me, you know, you live with an open hand, you know and you can receive and you can give, you know.” He reflected on his journey from humble beginnings to Hollywood stardom, highlighting the importance of hard work in achieving success.

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Davidson discussed the significance of his experiences and how they shape his comedy. “That’s what comedy comes into play and has for so long for me personally, like stand up. That’s what it does. It takes all of your worries away, anything that you think is going on in the world.” He also touched upon the importance of storytelling and connecting with an audience, emphasizing, .”..that work part, that word work, you know, that’s what my mom taught me.”



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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis residents face mixed experiences with USPS during busiest shipping week

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Indianapolis residents face mixed experiences with USPS during busiest shipping week


INDIANAPOLIS — A busy holiday shipping season has left some Indianapolis residents frustrated with postal service delays, while others report smooth deliveries during what the United States Postal Service calls its busiest week of the year.

“This is actually the busiest mailing, shipping and delivery week of the entire year. So we are incredibly busy,” said Susan Wright, USPS spokesperson.

WATCH FULL STORY BELOW

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Indianapolis residents face mixed experiences with USPS during holiday season

For Indianapolis resident Steve Burnstein, the holiday rush has meant nearly two weeks of waiting for gifts that should have arrived days ago.

“I’m just frustrated to the top, you know, there’s no reason for it,” Burnstein said.

After dropping off his gifts, Steve was told delivery would take just a matter of days. Nearly two weeks later, the packages remain stuck at a distribution center just miles from his home.

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“They’re sitting at a distribution center at English at or Brookville Road near 465,” Burnstein added.

WRTV followed Steve to the post office to track down his missing packages, and employees spent more than 15 minutes searching for answers.

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing — it’s moving through the distribution center— but not to California,” Steve said after the lengthy wait.

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Wright offered advice for avoiding shipping delays during the busy season.

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“One thing that I want to encourage customers to do is to be sure you have an accurate address, and the one thing you do not want to guess about is the zip code, because the zip code is our first line of sortation. And so if that is incorrect, it will misdirect your package,” Wright said.

Other Indianapolis residents have had better experiences with the postal service during the holiday rush.

“They’re very good about getting your mail out and getting it on time,” Delores Parker from Indianapolis said.

Delores recommends additional precautions.

“I usually make sure it’s where I get a return receipt if it’s something that’s very important,” she added.

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Steve suggests considering alternatives for critical shipments.

“Ship them FedEx, ship them UPS. Check and make sure that they’re gonna go,” Steve said.

According to the USPS Website, the deadline for a package to arrive by Christmas through Priority Mail Express is Saturday, December 20.


Griffin Gonzalez is the In Your Community multimedia journalist for Hamilton County. He joined WRTV in January of 2024. Griffin loves to tell stories about people overcoming their biggest obstacles and share the good news that his community has to offer. Share your story ideas and important issues with Griffin by emailing him at griffin.gonzalez@wrtv.com.





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Indianapolis, IN

Silver Alert declared for 16-year-old boy missing from Indianapolis

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Silver Alert declared for 16-year-old boy missing from Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the disappearance of Robert Williams Jr., a 16-year-old Black male who is 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs 185 pounds, has black hair with brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a gray coat, blue sweat pants, and black tennis shoes.

Williams Jr. is missing from Indianapolis, and was last seen on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance. 

Investigators ask that anyone with information on Williams Jr. contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at 317-327-6541 or 911.

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