INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis metro police and Indiana State Police are beefing up patrols for the next week in an effort to crack down on dangerous driving.
Police said the new effort came after the city saw numerous fatal pedestrian accidents in recent weeks and after police received multiple complaints from the public about reckless driving in the city.
IMPD AND ISP will be flooding the streets, patrolling more than 30 different locations across town from now until Sunday, Oct. 29.
IMPD said the increased patrols will be on top of the officer’s normal duties, and they will be getting overtime pay.
Some of what police are looking for during the initiative:
- aggressive driving
- speeding
- running red lights
- not using turn signals
“The focus is on correcting behavior,” said IMPD Sgt. Javed Richards. “Obviously, we know tickets or enforcement do help in correcting behavior, but also speaking to someone or giving them a warning educates them more in a one-on-one conversation. That’s another way of actually correcting behavior.”
It’s all part of a new initiative that aims to not only protect drivers but pedestrians too.
So far in 2023, IMPD said there have been 274 crashes involving a pedestrian. That’s up from 243 from all of 2022.
28 of those crashes this year have been fatal. There were only 33 in all of last year, putting Indy on track to potentially surpass that deadly number.
“I think it’s being in a hurry combined with a lot of distractions,” said IMPD Patrol Officer, Ryan Deakin. “We’ve got cell phones, we’ve got bigger screens in the cars. It’s I think a lot of drivers are distracted. They’ve got their mind on other things other than driving and safety.”
FOX59/CBS4 rode along with IMPD patrol Officer Ryan Deakin Monday afternoon and patrolled the city’s northwest side along 56th street.
During our ride along in a marked IMPD vehicle, we didn’t see a single driver violating any laws.
“It makes me happy,” said Officer Deakin. “We’re not out here to write tickets constantly. We would much rather when we’re driving not see any infractions or any violations and keep people safe.”
Police said the very visible presence of patrol officers often deters people from breaking the law.
Which IMPD added is exactly what this initiative is aiming for.
“The big thing is visibility and awareness,” said Officer Deakin. “Our goal is that if we can prevent a single serious bodily injury or fatality, it is well worth us being out here.”
If you’d like to report a problem area, contact your IMPD district or click here.
