Just days after the Fourth of July celebration, a shooting occurred in Indianapolis killing Officer Perry Renn, a 21-year veteran, and injuring seven others. In late May, a 25 year old man was killed in a parking lot right by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Most recently, a sixth week old was abducted after a violent attack right outside of downtown. Indianapolis had already hit the troubling benchmark of 50 homicides by the end of this past April. In addition, the per-capita murder rate for this city now exceeds Chicago’s – a city known for its high murder rates. The number of crimes in the city of Indianapolis is now higher than it has ever been in almost eight years. With news like this becoming more common on the news and radio, it’s fair to say that it is starting to affect the average resident.
“There needs to be more undercover police officers in the inner city to get a grasp on the ring leaders and put an end to them,” special services instructor Angela Eastridge said, “and longer jail times for repeat offenders.”
For someone that grew up in Indianapolis, like economics teacher Scott Morrow, the idea can be devastating.
“It’s not quite an epidemic, but it’s definitely an area of concern. My wife and I discuss safety precautions for situations that might occur when we’re together or alone,” Morrow said.

Here is the total number of crimes in each category for the year of 2013.
The Numbers (2013)
Criminal Homicide – 129
Robbery – 3,800
Aggravated Assault – 5,894
Burglary – 13,445
Larceny – 26,156
Vehicle Theft – 5,005
Plenty of traditional police work is being done to help regulate the increase in crime rates in Indianapolis as well as reaching out to neighborhoods, social groups and schools. The city plans to target the root cause of the issue and work from there. An art exhibit titled “Kin Killin’ Kin” is displayed until September 28 at the Central Library to get the youth to acknowledge the reality of gun violence.