INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett presented his proposed 2022 budget to the City-County Council Monday night, hoping to capitalize on a large infusion of federal monies to help address a surge in violent crime.
The mayor's budget calls for investing more money than ever before in public safety. It uses $150 million from the American Rescue Plan over the next three years to help fund several crimefighting initiatives.
"This plan, once implemented, will save lives," he told the council. "This plan, once funded, will make the city safer."
Hogsett's proposed budget calls for, in part:
- Adding 100 new IMPD beat officers.
- Funding 22 new civilian public safety officers.
- Investing $9 million in crimefighting technology, which includes a 360-degree virtual training system, 350 solar-cell license plate readers and community cameras with license plate readers and gunshot detection equipment.
There's also $15 million per year for community violence reduction grants, and boosting to 50 the number of peacekeepers who work with at-risk individuals.
The mayor also announced $30 million for mental health programming, $5.5 million for re-entry services and $5 million for workforce development training.
"Each of these investments at their core is an anti-crime investment," he said. "Now is the time for this council to act and act boldly."
Fellow Democrats on the council stood and applauded the mayor, while the Republican minority issued a statement that said while they wanted to "help craft a bipartisan budget ... it is our hope to make sure the city's budget priorities are not simply throwing more money at many of the failed policies from the last several years."
The mayor's budget proposal now goes before several council committees before returning to the full council in mid-October.