IMPD budget includes improvements for mental health and technology

Indianapolis, Indiana – A $323.8 million budget was requested by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for 2024, nearly a $11 million increase from the 2023 budget.

“This budget takes the next step and adds in-car cameras to our patrol vehicles. It’s an additional transparency tool, we will also add to our public safety program and our automatic license plate reader technology,” said Randal Taylor, chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

To assist officers in becoming more prepared to handle a mental health emergency, IMPD is introducing scenario-based training.

“I acknowledge the 7,000 successful involuntary detentions to receive mental health care for those who meet the criteria. What training will be added to prevent deadly outcomes particularly on mental health calls? Even one death is too many,” said Kristin Berry of the Herman Whitfield III Foundation.

Whitfield had a mental health crisis in 2022 and passed away while being held by IMPD.

With Adult and Child Mental Health and Aspire of Indiana, IMPD formed new alliances.

“We talk consistently and constantly in all of our training about ways to mitigate, and help and diffuse issues related to mental health,” said Chris Bailey, assistant chief of police for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Bailey noted that IMPD can do more to strengthen its ties to the neighborhood, including as hiring more female, African-American, and other minority police officers.

“The last three-and-a-half years have potentially been some of the worst we’ve seen in community-police relations, not just here, but across the country since the late 1960s and early 1970s, and carried on for a period of time. We’re committed to working on that each and every day,” said Bailey.

The proposed budget received the complete approval of the Fraternal Order of Police’s Indianapolis chapter. Before it may go into force, the Public Safety Committee and the entire City County Council must ratify it.