INDIANAPOLIS — The city will increase police patrols on the Downtown Canal Walk as part of a plan to increase security in the wake of two fatal shootings in recent weeks.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will add two off-duty overnight shifts on the canal from 10:30 p.m.-5 a.m., according to a news release from the Department of Metropolitan Development. The shifts will include a combination of bike and foot patrols and pay special attention to the Canal Playspace and the Walnut Street bridge.
“As we continue our efforts to reopen the downtown economy, we want residents, businesses and cultural institutions along the canal to safely enjoy this beautiful and vibrant shared public asset,” Mayor Joe Hogsett said in the release.
The Department of Metropolitan Development will address lighting issues and work with the Department of Public Works to repair street-level lights along bridges. Security cameras will be installed near Michigan Street and Indiana Avenue, along with the Walnut Street bridge.
The city is working with the Bird and Lime scooter companies to make the canal a "no-ride zone" with scooters slowing to 1-2 miles per hour when they enter the area.
The moves to increase security on the Canal Walk come after two fatal shootings that occurred less than a week apart.
At about 2 a.m. June 29, police said 14-year-old Curtis White was fatally shot while he allegedly attempted to rob a person he did not realize had a gun. Six days later on July 5, Jessica Doty Whitaker, 24, died in a 3 a.m. shooting on the Canal Walk just south of the St. Clair Street bridge.
RELATED | Deadly shooting is a reminder of danger in Indianapolis | Woman shot and killed on Canal Walk in Downtown Indianapolis
