INDIANAPOLIS – The 25 members of the Indianapolis City-County Council released a statement condemning threats against officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
IMPD has reported 26 threats since a deadly officer-involved shooting earlier this month.
Dreasjon Reed was killed on May 6, near the intersection of 62nd Street and Michigan Road. Police say he led them on a chase, then exited his vehicle and confronted officers. IMPD says gunfire was exchanged. Reed livestreamed the incident on his Facebook page. Several shots could be heard, but video of the shooting was captured.
The council released a bipartisan statement, urging “patience and understanding” while the shooting investigations continue.
“We as a Council maintain our commitment to address the underlying causes and resulting trauma that breeds violence in our community and we encourage you to contact us to share concerns, issues and ideas,” the statement reads.
Read the full statement below:
We, as members of the Indianapolis City-County Council, want to express our deep appreciation for our law enforcement community, especially those of IMPD and other local law enforcement agencies.
We understand that these are emotional times in our community and there is a desire to strike back, particularly when we believe we’re being treated unfairly or that our interests are being compromised. This is our community, and we do not accept threats of any kind - to our police officers or our families.
Our community needs our officers to work in an environment where they can protect all our families during their most vulnerable moments.
Threats to members of law enforcement, or placing them in situations where they are in harm’s way, challenges their ability to protect us all.
We never condone violence under any circumstances, and urge patience and understanding while the independent investigations take their course. We as a Council maintain our commitment to address the underlying causes and resulting trauma that breeds violence in our community and we encourage you to contact us to share concerns, issues and ideas.
In each of our districts, we commit to continue our work of bringing people together and facilitating positive dialogue that works towards community-oriented solutions.
