Editorial: Indy is losing the fight against violence

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Joe Hogsett, Indianapolis Mayor, talks about the city's rising murder rate, and new initiatives he's launching that he hopes will stem it, Indianapolis, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Robert Scheer/IndyStar

The appalling level of violence in Indianapolis has frustrated political leaders, police and the public for years. It's not a new problem. But with the city on track to set a record for homicides for the third straight year, it's clear that the crisis is getting worse.

Mayor Joe Hogsett, to his credit, took responsibility this week for his administration's inability to stem the violence. While doing so, the mayor outlined plans to hire more police in 2018 and to assign more officers to neighborhood beats. He also announced that the city will spend another $1 million on community outreach efforts aimed at reducing violent crime.

Those are welcome steps. 

But it's also imperative that city leaders learn from devastating mistakes made in the recent past.

Police and prosecutors have struggled for years to solve murder cases in the city in large part because violent drug gangs have terrorized and killed witnesses. Yet, it wasn't until after IndyStar published in October an investigative story about the violent intimidation of witnesses, that the city finally allocated a significant amount of money ($300,000) to witness protection.

As IndyStar reporters Tim Evans and Ryan Martin have documented in a devastating series of stories, authorities in 2015 arrested Richard Grundy III and 10 of his associates on murder and drug racketeering charges. Police at the time said Grundy and his crew were responsible for at least 10 violent deaths. And the arrests were hailed as a major breakthrough in the fight against violent crime in Indianapolis.

But the case fell apart this year. Grundy never went to trial for any of the deaths and none of his associates were convicted of murder. 

Between 2007 and that 2015 case, Grundy was arrested at least seven times, including on serious drug and gun charges. But he was convicted of only five misdemeanors and one low-level felony. In November, Grundy was arrested yet again, this time on federal drug dealing and money laundering charges.

Evans and Martin's series is a shocking example of the criminal justice system's inability to keep suspected violent criminals off the streets and to slow the trade in illegally owned guns.

 There are no easy solutions to the complex challenges facing Indy in its fight against violent crime. But as Mayor Hogsett said this week: We have to do better -- all of us who call this city home have to do better -- in working to prevent and stop the violence.

We're in a fight to save lives and to protect our city.  It's a fight we must win.

Last year, police and prosecutors solved less than half of the criminal homicide cases. This year,  the solve rate is only about 35 percent. Killers have been walking the streets with virtual impunity, and a major reason