INDIANAPOLIS — Tanya Terry, a 27-year veteran of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, will be sworn in as chief on Monday, making history as the first woman to permanently lead IMPD.
Terry's appointment comes as Indianapolis sees criminal homicides at an eight-year low. Her focus will be on reducing violent crime, officer retention and strengthening community partnerships.
"It's incredibly humbling and an incredible honor, really, to be considered," Terry said.
In nearly three decades with IMPD, Terry has worked patrol, homicide and at leadership levels. Most recently, she served as deputy chief of operations, where she was responsible for every police district in the city.
"Young girls in our community can see me serve in this capacity and know that somebody that looks like them can contribute to their community in such an impactful way," Terry said.
Terry grew up in Indianapolis and is a graduate of Warren Central High School. She describes herself as a people-centered, people-oriented person and lifelong public servant.
"I grew up on this police department the last 27 years. I look forward to expanding on the relationships that I already have, establishing new ones," Terry said.
Early in her career, Terry learned compassion and empathy from fallen IMPD officer David Moore.
"I was a very active street cop. What I was missing early in my career was the ability to serve in my role and see the humanity in others, even when it was time to hold them accountable. And what David showed me was there was a way to do both," Terry said.
Among her accomplishments as commander of the Southwest District, Terry spearheaded a juvenile diversion program in 2021.
"What the program does is diverts low-risk, nonviolent youth to resources and out of the criminal justice system. When I became deputy chief of operations, we expanded that program to every district on our agency," Terry said.
In her role as deputy chief of operations, Terry gained valuable experience managing citywide operations.
"It was very eye-opening to learn how to manage the short-term staffing issues and employ and explore long-term strategies and be a part of our gun violence reduction strategy and our enhanced community safety initiative," Terry said.
Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement:
"With Chief Terry leading our IMPD officers, I am confident Indianapolis will continue making progress in shaping safer neighborhoods."
Terry emphasized continuing the department's crime reduction efforts.
"We have done an incredible job of driving crime down in our city, and that's going to remain a top priority for me. We have leveraged partnerships. We have embraced data-driven strategies. We've become more efficient. We're leveraging technology," Terry said.
With the department short more than 300 officers, Terry says recruitment and retention will be a big focus.
"Maybe we'll tap into more of our women out there that want to join and want to serve. They represent 51% of our population. So that's huge. If you're out there and you want to serve, go to join IMPD.gov," Terry said.
Terry acknowledges the new role will mean sacrifices at home, but says she has strong support from her wife, who is an IMPD captain.
"I'm nervous but excited, I think. I would be inhuman if I weren't nervous about this responsibility and the gravity of the role, but I am really excited to serve our officers and serve our community in this capacity," Terry said.
