Indy Mayor Joe Hogsett says despite this year’s nearly 20 percent in the local murder rate, the city does not need to change its crime fighting strategy, saying it will have an impact in the long run.
So far this year, Indianapolis has had 85 murders. Last year at this time the number was 72, an 18-percent increase.
Speaking at the Mayor’s annual Peace Bowl basketball tournament in Washington Park on the east side, Hogsett said the city’s problems were not going to be solved overnight and that the current strategy is tackling the root causes of systemic violence which will yield results in the long term.
The Mayor also talked about the budget he plans to unveil to the City-County Council in a week. He reiterated that to close the city’s $50 million structural deficit, increases in taxes and fees were on the table, but would only be a last resort.
You can hear the Mayor in the Leon-Tailored Audio above. It runs about five minutes.
