Increasing Violent Crime Rates (Indianapolis, Hope: apartments, schools, utilities)

[ischyros]

Originally Posted by PhrankMartian

As a soon to be resident from new York State I must say that aside from this message board I haven't heard a peep about Indianapolis's crime rate.
I think Indianapolis has Crime-Envy. I mean Chicago just had like 50 murders last month. Your insecurities are showing, Indy.

For real, this board has had me super worried at times then I realized the crime you're talking about is just that. crime. it exists everywhere. it may appear to be on the rise way more but you're letting it sensationalize you.
if I am crimed while I live in Indianapolis I will eat a piece of humble pie and truly regret this post.

Also people on City-Data in general, but it seems to especially prevalent in the Indy board, find anything they can to put cities down or make them look bad. I do find it strange that other city boards have questions about moving and relocated, but most of the topics in the Indy board are about how bad it is or how bad crime is or anything negative people can come up with about a place. There aren't any more negatives here than in any other big city.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by MissingIndiana

To be frank, I think you have a really crappy attitude with people here sometimes, and not just the trolls who deserve it. Case in point is the snarky/sarcastic false thank you above. As you pointed out, this is a public thread and not every one who read the comment might have known Woodruff Place so that was meant for everyone and not just you. But thanks for letting me know around what neighborhood you live in so I can better understand how savvy you must be about the city, I guess? The fact that a person lives in the city doesn't mean that no one else knows anything about it or that they haven't also had experience living in an urban environment, even if they live in the suburbs now.

It's also not just about tourism. People may still visit, but it's much harder to get people to commit to moving into and improving urban neighborhoods when those neighborhoods are being highlighted on national news as hotbeds for not just murder but also increasing drug problems and an increase in the number of weapons on the street (two other aspects that were highlighted on the aforementioned newscast).

I'm not afraid of my own shadow. The last time I was in Indy I was walking around completely alone at 12-1:00 AM downtown, up near the War Memorial, and in deserted and not so well lit areas of the canal. I've biked through much rougher areas in the day time. It's not like I think the city is a war zone, but I do think Indy seems to have a bigger problem with crime than other comparable cities and that it's rooted in its urban neighborhoods.

I also think that if a person is choosing between moving to a city that is on the national news for murder and crime (sensationalized or not) versus moving to a city that is not on national news for this reason, that it can most certainly have an impact on the person's decision and that it is possible for the negative perception which is created to have a negative affect on the city. That's the point I was making.

I was watching the NBC 5:30 news last night and all the newscasters had an antiviolence message in what should have been commercial time. I've never seen something like this anywhere else. If you're here on business, visiting family, etc, and turn on the news and see that, it's a turn off.

[PhrankMartian]

wait, people watch the 5:30 news? in 2014?

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

I was watching the NBC 5:30 news last night and all the newscasters had an antiviolence message in what should have been commercial time. I've never seen something like this anywhere else. If you're here on business, visiting family, etc, and turn on the news and see that, it's a turn off.

The news-media in Indianapolis is a joke. There is no nicer way to say it. I can't watch it anymore.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by Toxic Toast

The news-media in Indianapolis is a joke. There is no nicer way to say it. I can't watch it anymore.

Why is it so bad?

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

Why is it so bad?

It's more about playing up drama to drive ratings than actually keeping people informed.

I guess that makes the media in Indianapolis...........just like the media everywhere else.


Switchfoot - Selling the News

[missik999]

Originally Posted by Toxic Toast

The news-media in Indianapolis is a joke. There is no nicer way to say it. I can't watch it anymore.

I like the investigative reports on WTHR. The Hot Trucks reports were eye-opening and have resulted in increased truck inspections and other positive changes for the restaurant industry.

[wh15395]

I was wondering if anyone else had noticed the relative lack of homicides on the local news lately, at least in comparison to the first 6 months of the year? The city's actual homicide rate is well below the numbers that the media had been projecting for the summer. The number is still high, 93 homicides so far, but less than 2013 which had already seen 106 homicides at this time.

Homicide Chart

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by wh15395

I was wondering if anyone else had noticed the relative lack of homicides on the local news lately, at least in comparison to the first 6 months of the year? The city's actual homicide rate is well below the numbers that the media had been projecting this summer. The number is still high, 93 homicides so far, but less than 2013 which had already seen 106 homicides at this time.

Homicide Chart

I have noticed. Living here since '95, I've seen more than one uptick in homicides lead to howls that the entire area was going to hell in a handbasket. If memory serves, there was one such uptick that caused problems for Steve Goldsmith when he ran for governor. In each instance, the homicide rate came back down. This recent surge, however, does seem more prolonged.

I would hope that a receding homicide rate doesn't lead to complacency. Indianapolis has serious issues that must be addressed in order for it to be a thriving community in the future. I think there are people here with good ideas. Unfortunately, Indiana affords its cities limited home rule, meaning city leaders have to beg the General Assembly for permission to do almost anything. And let's be honest, right now this state is run by slack-jawed yokels.

[indy_317]

Originally Posted by wh15395

I was wondering if anyone else had noticed the relative lack of homicides on the local news lately, at least in comparison to the first 6 months of the year? The city's actual homicide rate is well below the numbers that the media had been projecting for the summer. The number is still high, 93 homicides so far, but less than 2013 which had already seen 106 homicides at this time.

A couple of triple or quad murders will send the rate right back up. One thing that I noticed about the recent highest year and this year is doubles. Usually you will have one mass homicide incident occur, but lots of doubles. We had lots of doubles early this year, with a quadruple and triple homicide within weeks of each other. Hard to tell what is really going on, and at any given time more bodies could be found hidden or whatnot. A better statistic is how many people are shot and survive, in addition to the number of missing people as well. Some of those missing could be homicide victims where the body is found later, if ever.

Hopefully the trend stays slow from here on out. If cold weather really plays a factor in homicides, then with cooler temps coming this week, maybe we will have a cooler than normal fall which could keep people indoors and out of trouble?