Violent crime has increased in Marion County and across Central Indiana. It's almost daily that we learn of another family, business, or community devastated by senseless acts. In 2020, Indianapolis recorded nearly 250 homicides, at a time when our state was working hard to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. We can do better. More collaboration and communication between Central Indiana counties are required to eradicate the plague of violence in our community.
This session, I was proud to co-author House Bill 1558, which would create the Indiana Major Crimes Task Force. This group would be a partnership between Marion, Hamilton, Hendricks, Hancock, Johnson, Shelby and Boone counties – with an eye towards statewide implementation. The goal of this task force would be to establish an open line of communication between local agencies to solve major crimes and get violent criminals off the street. The legislation allows for law enforcement agencies to send their best-and-brightest to learn the newest technology for tracing crime guns, investigating shootings, and elevating the role of real-time data to identify potential suspects. It is a substantive, measurable step toward staying ahead of the criminals.
This approach builds on an existing partnership between the police departments in Fishers and Indianapolis to pool resources. HB 1558 would allow both agencies to collaborate, share information and help link guns to crimes committed across the state. In 2019, 51 of the 171 illegal firearms confiscated by Fishers Police were connected to crimes in Indianapolis. We know criminals don't stop at city or county lines, which is why our law enforcement needs to work in lockstep to crack down on violence.
If we want to continue improving the quality of life for Hoosiers and continue helping our communities bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must work together to address this violent crime problem in our region. By working across jurisdictions to share gun crime and ballistics data, this coordinated effort has the potential to make a significant impact. If you have any questions or input about this legislation or how I can better serve our community, please contact my office at H88@iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Chris Jeter (R-Fishers) represents House District 88,
which includes portions of Marion, Hamilton and Hancock counties.
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