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Police get fewer calls after downtown Indy McDonald's starts locking doors overnight

Posted at 10:19 PM, Feb 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-14 14:28:20-05

INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis McDonald's says overnight crime has gone down since they changed their door locking policy following a report by RTV6. 

Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department say they made 57 runs to the McDonald's at the corner of 16th and Meridian streets in just the first 22 days of 2018, which prompted a story from RTV6 questioning the safety of customers and police. 

After our report aired, the manager at that McDonald's says they began locking their doors during the overnight hours.

In the past 22 days, police have only made 10 calls to that location.

"Now we started to close the doors at 11 to stop the drama and commotion and everything that would happen overnight so when we are not here just to make it a better environment," said employee Destinee Johnson.

READ | Police say they'd have fewer calls to McDonald's in downtown Indy if lobby was locked overnight

Officers say they were responding to drug overdoses in the bathrooms, assaults, disorderly conduct, destruction of property and conducted warrant arrests.

"It's amazing what a few small changes can do especially when it comes to preventing from Public Safety from having to come out and address issues and in this case it was a locked door," said IMPD Officer Jim Gillespie. "That took ours calls earlier this year from being over 50 calls to this location down to just 10 since then, so it's been a tremendous help to city resources."

Two other fast food restaurants in the vicinity of the McDonald's say even though it can get rough in the area late at night, they don't have to call police often because they always keep their doors locked after a certain time.

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