IMPD releases draft of five-year strategic plan, asks community to give feedback

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department recently released the initial draft of its 5-year strategic plan after months of gathering community feedback through listening sessions and surveys.

The plan has three focus areas: supporting officers and staff, building trust within the community and enhancing safety throughout the city.

Gathering input from residents, officers and staff helped guide “every step” of the development process, IMPD Chief Chris Bailey said.

“Each of these priorities reflects what we heard from the people who know this department best, those who serve in it and those who depend on it everyday," he said.

The strategic plan reflects IMPD’s overall goal to reduce crime and improve safety for Marion County residents. The plan will create a roadmap to help guide the department to meet the needs of the city while building a better future for IMPD officers, professional staff and the communities they serve.

IMPD first announced the plan’s development in April. Working with local consulting firm Taylor Advising, the department collected feedback from more than 2,250 Indianapolis residents and over 1,200 IMPD employees. Every zip code in Marion county was represented in the data.

The feedback produced several key findings that shaped the department’s mission, priorities and initial draft.

“It’s less about comparing IMPD to other police departments,” said Marla Taylor, president at Taylor Advising. “It’s more about making sure what they are prioritizing reflects the needs of the folks who live here in Indianapolis.”

Half of community respondents agree that "IMPD is trustworthy" while 24% disagreed, according to the findings. Only 39% said they believe the department is transparent in its policies and practices.

When asked how safe they feel in Indianapolis outside alone during the day, 70% of respondents said they feel “very safe” or “generally safe.” At night, that number dropped to 42%.

Bailey said that was a shocking find.

“This is an open honest reflection of how people feel,” he said. “Some of it is really good, some of it are challenges that we need to work on. But we did it knowing that we were going to get the truth, which is what we wanted.”

The final draft will include clear goals for each of the three priority areas as well as specific actions the department will take to achieve them.

Officials expect the final plan to be released in early 2026, with its implementation happening soon after.

“I hope that people and our officers – maybe not at first but as they move forward and see what the end product is – that they see we truly care about what they want and need to do their job effectively,” Bailey said.

Now, the police department seeks feedback on the proposed priorities, mission and vision outlined in the draft plan. The feedback form and the draft plan is offered in six different languages including Spanish and Haitian Creole.

Indianapolis residents can share feedback through Nov. 27 by filing out a form. For more information visit IMPD’s website.

Contact WFYI Morning Edition newscaster and reporter Abriana Herron at aherron@wfyi.org.