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IMPD officers increasingly coming under fire

Posted at 12:39 AM, Jul 01, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-01 00:39:07-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis police officers say they're increasingly coming under attack on the city's streets.

Since the merger that formed IMPD in 2007, an average of 700 officers per year have been assaulted by citizens. In 2009, five officers were fired upon. That number increased to 37 in 2014.

Since 2013, 53 police officers have been shot. Twelve of those were injured.

"Just within the past few weeks, we've pulled out a handful of AK-47s," said IMPD Chief Troy Riggs. "Not in the trunk. Not hidden."

Early Thursday morning, an IMPD officer was shot at on the 1300 block of West 26th Street.

The officer didn't return fire, and no one was injured.

Riggs says the solution for ending the violence in the city must be long-term.