Crime, Public Safety and Quality of Life

At first glance, the Midwest metropolis of Indianapolis would not appear to have problems with crime. There aren't stretches of sheer misery as seen in Detroit and the Downtown -- with its shiny new stadia -- looks lovely. But a closer look shows a city in decline: Crime rates that have skyrocketed over the past seven years; neighborhoods littered with abandoned homes in which drug addicts and arsonists use for their crimes; overcrowded courts and understaffed police forces; and even nice neighborhoods are plagued with vandalism.

This was the Indianapolis that I chronicled over three years as an editorial writer for the Indianapolis Star, detailing how the neglect of communities fostered a city terrorized by aggravated assaults, burglaries and murders. From magazine-style presentations to charts to true-life stories, I showed how city officials and citizens let their city fall to seed -- and how they could fix it.

Crime

Years of inadequate funding threaten the public's safety [June 12, 2005]
Crime on the rise [November 20, 2005]
No room at the jail: Some inmates released while others languish [June 25, 2006]
Mean streets: Indianapolis tops New York, Detroit in some categories of crime [Aug. 20, 2006]

Broken windows

For this city to truly be first class, it can't ignore these problems [June 26, 2005]

Vexed in the city: Underlying causes of crime continue to plague neighborhoods [September 17, 2006]

Images of concern [May 20, 2007]

Police and public safety

Emergency situation: Keep police on streets with creative solution [Dec. 4, 2005]

More police would help, but it's not enough [March 18, 2007]

Also see: Crisis management of crime.