INDIANAPOLIS — Leaders with the Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition say 2022 saw dramatic improvements to public safety across the city.
Several traditional crime hot spots patrolled by the group saw a significant reduction in violence in 2022 compared to the year before.
On New Year’s Eve, on Graceland Avenue, police found a man shot to death inside a home. That killing in Crown Hill marked the last homicide in Indy in 2022.
Just a few hours earlier, another man died after being shot between two buildings at the Lake Castleton Apartments on Newport Way near 75th and Shadeland.
Both killings took place in neighborhoods patrolled by the Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition. Yet even with those two deaths included, the group had one of their most successful years ever in helping reduce violence.
“I would say 2022 has been the most successful because we covered more ground,” said Reverend Charles Harrison.
Specifically, Ten Point patrolled or assisted in patrolling eight areas in 2022.
Those neighborhoods saw eight homicides in 2022, compared to 22 homicides in 2021.
The areas patrolled by Ten Point include Butler Tarkington. That neighborhood saw 1 murder in 2021 and 2 murders in 2022.
In Crown Hill there were 6 homicides in 2021 and 2 in 2022.
In Highland Vicinity there were 0 murders in 2021 or 2022.
In the near Northwest zone 1, which is formerly known as UNWA, there were 4 homicides in 2021 and 2 in 2022.
In near Northwest zone 2, which is a 2 block radius near 29th & MLK, there were 2 homicides in 2022 and 0 in 2022.
From 38th to 42nd Street between Mitthoefer and German Church, there were 2 homicides in 2022 and 0 murders in 2022.
Ten Point also assists in the North Shadeland Alliance where there were 7 homicides in 2021 and 2 in 2022.
“For us to have a 63 percent reduction in murders over eight areas is the most successful year we have had,” said Harrison.
Reverend Charles Harrison says the reductions coincided with a change in strategy in 2022, where Ten Point teams narrowed their focus within their neighborhoods.
For example, in Crown Hill, they stepped up patrols along 30th Street where violent activity was more frequent.
“We really tried to focus on hot spot areas and be more concentrated rather than patrolling the whole neighborhood,” said Harrison.
Looking ahead, reverend Harrison is hopeful the city-wide violence will continue to decrease in the new year.
“We don’t think there’s any area of the city seeing high levels of violence where it cannot be reduced,” said Harrison. “We can do this if we work in a collaborative effort.”
Reverend Harrison says in 2016 Ten Point saw an 85 percent decrease in homicides, but at that time they were only focused on four smaller areas.
no arrests were made in either weekend homicide.
Anyone with information about the Graceland incident should call Detective Jose Torres at the IMPD Homicide Office at (317) 327-3475 or e-mail the detective at Jose.Torres@indy.gov.
Anyone with information about the Newport Way incident should call Detective Brad Nuetzman at the IMPD Homicide Office at (317) 327-3475 or e-mail the detective at Brad.Nuetzman@indy.gov.
