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State Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, proposed that the state—through a governor’s appointee, a state-appointed board and the Indiana attorney general—take over law enforcement in the Mile Square in downtown Indianapolis. Is that a good idea? Five leaders weigh in. IBJ sent a request to the Senate Majority Communications Office seeking a column from Young, but the office declined.
I keep hearing that downtown needs a state-run security zone. I disagree. Policing is not the weakness in our system, and concentrating new government power inside one square mile will accomplish little for families who live or work beyond the skyline.
First, violent crime is spread across the city. In 2023, almost half of all homicides occurred in five ZIP codes on the east and north sides: 46218, 46226, 46235, 46291 and 46208, well outside the proposed Mile Square district. A plan that fortifies Monument Circle but ignores the neighborhoods where gunfire is most common solves the wrong problem.
Second, the bottleneck is prosecution capacity. Mayor Hogsett’s 2024 budget funded three special assistant U.S. attorneys so the worst gun cases could move to federal court, an acknowledgment that local prosecutors are overwhelmed. The caseload numbers are sobering: Approximately 20% of all statewide criminal filings are handled by Marion Superior Court. At my SmartIndy public safety roundtable, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears confirmed this filing statistic.
If the Prosecutor’s Office’s resources are scarce, why devote attorney hours to community events that duplicate existing court services? Sure, the Prosecutor’s Office’s annual youth basketball clinic is well-intentioned, and its “Second Chance” expungement and driver’s license fairs are popular. However, the Clerk’s Expungement Help Desk, the Mental Health Alternative Court and Veterans Court already offer these pathways. Time spent on redundant programs means less time prosecuting violent crime cases.
Finally, creating a state-appointed board and commissioner for downtown adds another layer of bureaucracy. It would bring no new prosecutors, judges or jail beds, and it would leave the most victimized neighborhoods untouched. Bigger government is not the answer.
A smarter state role would focus on targeted backup and transparent accountability:
◗ Allow the attorney general to embed prosecutors in counties where filing exceeds staff’s capacity.
◗ Fund additional trial-court judges or senior-judge days when weighted caseloads cross critical thresholds.
◗ Publish a statewide scorecard tracking filing rates, plea agreements and sentencing outcomes, allowing voters to see where the pipeline truly breaks down.
If state leaders are dissatisfied with Marion County’s direction, there is a democratic remedy: Help us elect new leadership. SmartIndy, the civic PAC I chair, is already building that coalition.
Police can make arrests, but public safety depends on prosecutors who press charges and on courts that hold offenders accountable. Strengthening those links across the entire county, not erecting another layer of government downtown, is how we make Indianapolis safer and step closer to being the Smartest City in America.•
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Hart, a Republican, is minority leader for the Indianapolis City-County Council and founder of SmartIndy. Send comments to [email protected].
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