INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Police Chief Bryan Roach on Thursday officially launched the city’s participation in a federal program aimed at getting more resources to local departments in the effort to fight crime.
The program, being called the National Public Safety Partnership, is a continuation of an Obama-era pilot program known as the Violence Reduction Network.
The 12 cities selected for the program include Indianapolis, Houston, Cincinnati, Baton Rouge and Buffalo, New York.
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The program was announced in June by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
The partnership promises to provide “expedited delivery of assistance” to local departments in seven core areas:
- Federal partnerships
- Crime analysis
- Technology
- Gun violence
- Criminal justice
- Collaboration
- Community engagement
- Investigations
As part of Thursday’s event, Roach introduced the city’s new “strategic site liaison” – retired Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe.
According to the Charlotte Observer, Monroe, the city’s first black police chief, oversaw a 40-percent reduction in homicides during his seven years as chief – from 75 in 2007 to 42 in 2014.
Indianapolis began that same period with 114 homicides in 2007; ending with 136 in 2014. The city saw a dip in the interim years, though, not breaking 100 murders between 2009 and 2012.
Since then, Indianapolis has set its all-time homicide record two years in a row.
Monroe said he was excited to come out of retirement to participate in the public safety partnership.
“You have a city that has a great commitment to reduction of violence in its community.,” he said during brief remarks Thursday.
Hogsett described the partnership as a continuation of the city’s crimefighting efforts.
“It has been and shall remain a priority of this administration to tackle the issues we face with innovation, with creativity, with nimbleness and with effectiveness,” he said.
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