IMPD Shrinking Patrol Areas By Adding Beats

Ryan Delaney

IMPD recruits being sworn in at December 2015 ceremony. New recruits hit the streets next month.
*Deron Molen/WFYI*

INDIANAPOLIS -- The patrol areas for Indianapolis police officers are getting smaller.

At a monthly data meeting Wednesday, Indianapolis police chief Troy Riggs introduced a plan to reduce the miles IMPD officers cover every day.

Right now the average area each IMPD officer patrols is about 11 square miles. Riggs is adding 19 new beats that would cover just one square mile each.

"Which means that officers will have the opportunity to interact with citizens at a level they haven’t in the past," Riggs told WFYI.

Some of the new patrol areas will cover the city’s entertainment districts like Broad Ripple and Mass Ave, but some will also be in the city’s six high-crime “focus area” neighborhoods.

The department is adding 65 new officers to its force next month, allowing Riggs to assign 44 officers to the new beats.

Contact Ryan: 317.489.4491 | rdelaney@wfyi.org | @rpatrickdelaney

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