INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis has been recognized with a Smart Cities North America Award for its efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into city operations, a project initiated by the city’s AI Commission in December 2023.

The award is from the International Data Corp.

The AI Commission was proposed by Republican Minority Leader Michael Paul Hart, who works full-time in information technology. The commission’s goal is to explore ways to use AI to enhance government functions, and since its inception, the city has been gradually incorporating AI into everyday tasks.

“Everything started to come quick and fast with generative type of technologies and the concern I hear from my constituents a lot is what does that mean for Indianapolis,” said Hart, highlighting the impetus for the commission’s formation.

So far, Indianapolis has implemented AI in small ways, but there are considerations for larger applications, such as using AI to identify potholes.

“How do we take one of these cameras, face it down, so it’s looking at roads and not people, because that is a big concern, and catalogue where these things are,” Hart said.

The city plans to train employees on generative AI, hire a chief privacy officer and chief data officer, and try out Microsoft Co-Pilot to improve efficiency in tasks like writing emails and managing spreadsheets.

The IDC told Hart, “The way that you’re moving forward as a city and handling this type of work is a very prudent approach to the implementation of technology and we want to award you the smart cities award for the administration of artificial intelligence.”

While there are no concrete plans for future AI implementations, the city and its commission are exploring approaches to responsibly integrate AI into municipal operations.

The Indianapolis-Marion County Information Services Agency is leading the AI implementation efforts. Collin Hill, the chief information officer, said in a statement, “This IDC Smart Cities Award reflects our commitment to understanding and implementing AI with thoughtful and responsible approaches.”

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man was arrested for stealing an ambulance, then crashing it into another vehicle and trying to run away.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department got the call of a stolen ambulance on East 21st Street and North Shadeland Avenue around 11 a.m. Tuesday.

On the scene, officers said that the ambulance was unoccupied and parked in front of a business when it was stolen.

Just then, IMPD got a call saying someone found the ambulance abandoned one mile away.

On the 2100 block of Arlington Avenue, officers arrested the suspect trying to flee the scene on foot. IMPD says that the man crashed the ambulance into another vehicle, but there were no injuries.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department on Monday hosted 30 police chaplains from seven states to help them better understand police decisions around the use of force.

The chaplains are part of the International Conference of Police Chaplains, and the training aims to provide them with insights into the challenges officers face, which they can take back to their communities.

Sgt. Michael Daley, an IMPD use-of-force instructor, said Monday, “It’s difficult sometimes as an outsider to understand what the individual worker has to go through, and so it’s important for us to know, or to communicate to the chaplains, to tell them the story of what officers face on a daily basis.”

“People come in here with preconceived notions of what the officer is supposed to do and how the officer is supposed to handle those situations, and then, once they see the reality through these simulations of what’s actually involved in human behavior, perspectives change.”

Christopher Holland, a chaplain from the Bargersville Police Department, said, “Actual scenarios that are taking place are kind of true to life, so your blood pressure goes up. Your heart rate goes up. You’re dealing with issues very similar to what you would deal with in the community.”

“It gives me great empathy and it also gives me great understanding about what our officers go through every day, and how they place themselves in the line of danger in very intense situations and they make split-second decisions about it.”

Organizers hope after chaplains return to their communities with a better understanding of police challenges that they will help to improve community relations with police.