INDIANAPOLIS — City officials, including IMPD and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, held a press conference today to announce new safety measures put in place in Broad Ripple in hopes of reducing crime in the area.
Hogsett announced the Broad Ripple Station Parking lot will close at 11 p.m. beginning Friday. He says the parking lot is a site of informal mass gatherings, and the early closing is being done at the owner’s request.
There will also be restricted parking between Guilford Avenue and Westfield Avenue in Broad Ripple beginning Friday.
There will be barricades put in place and IMPD officers will be enforcing trespassing in the area to be sure the new safety measures are followed. IMPD will also be setting up cameras in nearby parking lots.
“Too often, many of these spots have been taken up with cars containing easy to access weapons,” Hogsett said.
IMPD is encouraging business owners to leave their exterior lights on even after business hours, and areas that lack sufficient lighting can request a light tower.
These added safety measures come two days after the Broad Ripple Village Association announced that late night business owners have come to a unanimous agreement to shut doors earlier to slow crime.
All bars and restaurants in Broad Ripple Village will close at 1 a.m. until further notice. Many places also plan to discontinue any type of day parties and use of promoters to host events.
According to the Broad Ripple Village Association, the reasoning behind the change is to help eliminate the string of violence the Village has recently seen.
After three people were shot and killed in Broad Ripple last weekend, there has been a rising concern about senseless violence there.
During the press conference, Hogsett spoke about Indiana’s permitless carry law as Saturday marks one year since the law was passed.
According to Hogsett, the law is partly to blame for the ongoing gun violence Indianapolis has seen in recent months. He says weakening gun ownership requirements has not contributed to a safer city or a safer state.
“Added to that, police are now limited to what they can ask when they see a gun, even if they feel the gun might pose a danger or be possessed illegally, nor can they run a quick background check,” Hogsett said.
Hogsett says under current law, police are required to assume every gun they see on a hip is being legally carried.
“If the law was a test to see if a more openly armed society would be a more polite society, I consider the test failed,” Hogsett said. “That law was opposed by law enforcement all over the state, including the Indiana State Police and IMPD. I also opposed the passage, and at this point I shouldn’t have to explain why.”
