City sets first public meeting on reforming public safety

The city of Indianapolis will host on Thursday the first of a series of community meetings focused on improving public safety.

The meeting, to be held virtually, is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

In June, following a destructive weekend of rioting in the city in response to the death of George Floyd, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced a partnership with the Criminal Justice Lab at New York University School of Law to reform public safety in Indianapolis.

The partnership aims to reimagine the city’s approach to public safety by bringing together subject matter experts, local stakeholders and community members to identify and analyze critical public safety data and build community-wide consensus around an ongoing series of policy recommendations and proposals for change.

Hogsett promised at the time the community would be included in the conversation.

The city, through Community Solutions Inc., then issued an online survey for residents to take through the end of August to share their thoughts on public safety.

The first public meeting will include a first look at initial survey results as well as data that has been gathered by the Criminal Justice Lab. The session also will offer residents opportunities to provide input on policy and safety priorities and time to share their own experiences.

Thursday’s session will be hosted by several members of the Indianapolis City-County Council. Deputy Mayor David Hampton will serve as the emcee for the community conversation.

Additional sessions will be announced at a later date.

Residents can join the conversation via Zoom by visiting this website: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86386000849.