INDIANAPOLIS — The Marion County Sheriff’s Office will continue transporting people accused of violent crimes to the county jail after protests from area officials.
The sheriff's office said earlier this month the service would end Jan. 1 due to a budgetary dispute between the Indianapolis city controller and the sheriff's office over funding for the new Community Justice Center.
Officials from Beech Grove, Cumberland, Lawrence, Southport and Speedway spoke out against the move last week.
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On Monday, the sheriff’s office said it will “continue to provide 24-hour arrestee transportation within the excluded cities and towns if the individual is arrested for a crime by an on-duty officer.”
The office will also guard people who are arrested for violent crimes and taken to Eskenazi Hospital for treatment. The agencies will meet in six months “to review arrestee service effectiveness and affordability.”
“This agreement today should rectify many of the concerns brought forward by those communities and their respective municipal administrations,” a news release said.
The sheriff’s office and police departments from the five cities and towns will also form the Marion County Public Safety Coalition, which will “attempt to tear down silos by organizing quarterly meetings, promoting open and clear lines of communication, and impartially advancing common-sense measures to curb crime.”
The news release said the agencies believe Eskenazi Hospital should “explore expanding their non-law enforcement security staff” for arrestees experiencing a mental health crisis.
“These people are in a hospital setting, often against their will, and need professional healthcare,” the release said. “They are not best served by police officers arresting them at the hospital for criminal offenses stemming from a medical issue.”
