Indy Democratic City-County Councilor Joe Simpson is attacking Mayor Joe Hogsett’s crime plan, saying it unfairly targets blacks by making them the face of crime.
Hogsett announced his plan on his second day in office saying he wanted to return to a more traditional community policing approach to fighting crime and crack down on more than 1,400 individuals with outstanding warrants.
In a weekend interview on Indy Speaks hosted by Cameron Riddle, Simpson said the Hogsett proposal sends the message that blacks are mainly responsible for crime in the city.
Simpson also said there was not enough jail capacity to hold those 1,400 individuals without adding to jail overcrowding. He also said the city should focus on the problems associated with heroin such as deaths due to overdoses.
You can hear Simpson’s comments here. They begin at 16:33 and run about 15 minutes.
Simpson said there are a lot of crimes in the city that do not involve blacks and homicides, but the administration is not making that a priority.
Indy Politics has placed a call into Mayor Hogsett’s office, we will post their reaction when it becomes available.
