Indy Police Union Proposes Plan to Address Historic IMPD Shortage

INDIANAPOLIS – The head of the Indianapolis police union is calling for changes to address the historic shortage of police officers.

Rick Snyder, president of the Indy FOP, presented his plans to increase IMPD numbers at a press conference on Wednesday.

Snyder calls this a crisis with devastating consequences. To fix it, IMPD officers need to be paid better, their schedules need to be improved, and for now, they need patrol support from the Indiana State Police.

To get more badged police officers in Indianapolis, salaries would have to increase, Snyder said. And not just a little bit.

IMPD has seen pay raises in recent years, but Snyder wants pay there to be higher than any other department in the state.

“I think the largest police department with the greatest responsibility in the state of Indiana should be the highest-paying in the state of Indiana,” he said. “Otherwise, purely as a matter of market principles, you're not going to attract the best and brightest people you need.”

Snyder praised Carmel, the state police and the similarly sized city of Columbus, Ohio, for their contracts, saying they were more competitive than Indianapolis.

“These agencies currently offer a mid-career police officer with 15 years of experience an annual salary of $105,000 in Carmel, $112,000 in the Indiana State Police and $122,000 in Columbus, Ohio,” he said.

Snyder said in Indianapolis, mid-career officers make about $85,000 to $87,000 a year.

The core of the problem is numbers. The IMPD's staffing levels are at an all-time low. The force is short 300 officers.

Last week, IMPD Chief Chris Bailey expressed his frustration to the council at a committee meeting.

“They're tired. We're all tired,” Bailey said. “Right now, we haven't cut back on our services or told community members that we won't show up for their respective runs, but we're close to that.”

Now the police union is presenting a proposed solution.

Snyder called it “Operation Firewall.”

It is demanding higher salaries and a big raise for the chief to keep him at the top. He said Bailey earns an estimated $100,000 less than his colleagues in other major cities.

The plan also calls for a switch to a 10-hour alternative schedule instead of the current 8-hour schedule.

“We would have three shifts, each working 10 hours,” Snyder explained. “With such an alternate schedule, IMPD can overlap each shift and its staffing during peak times during the day and night, thus utilizing its limited resources in the most cost-effective manner.”

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Snyder also wants support with Indiana State Police patrols, a partnership to complement IMPD's service and protection.

During this staffing crisis, patrol officers would temporarily work the streets of Indianapolis.

“They could be used as augmentation for the IMPD's core officers, quite frankly, as they did in Gary. They could provide patrol in the neighborhoods and on our streets,” Snyder said. “I would say as often as needed, especially to get us through that bridge from the fourth quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2025. We've reached out to (ISP) Superintendent Doug Carter. We've asked him if he could start the analysis, which we understand is already underway.”

But the Indiana State Police also have a shortage of personnel. They told 13News that they are currently short 150 police officers.

In addition, when asked about the future of patrol officers for Indianapolis, the IMPD chief said that the situation is not that desperate – not yet.

“I think the people of Indianapolis should trust that their leader in me has already thought about these things and my team and I have been thinking about what happens when we get to certain points for some time,” Bailey said Wednesday, “and we're not there yet. We don't feel like we're there and I think it would be a little irresponsible to say that because this is about people.”

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However, contingencies are being considered as IMPD struggles to put more officers on the streets of Indianapolis.

The police union is also calling for a new “reimbursement fee” for major events in Indianapolis, such as the Indianapolis 500, Colts and Pacers games, conventions and concerts.

Snyder said this would offset the “drain of resources from our city's neighborhoods.” For example, an additional $3 per ticket could be charged to pay for public safety at downtown events and offset IMPD costs.

Snyder pointed to cities like Boise, Spokane and Tulsa that pay the salaries of officials working at the events through chargeback rates.