Government and politics Indianapolis

1 government , politics

1.1 local government

1.1.1 public safety


1.2 state government
1.3 federal government
1.4 politics

government , politics

by act of indiana general assembly, indianapolis consolidated government of marion county in 1970. under indiana code s unigov provision, eleven included towns legally part of consolidated city , subject laws , administration of indianapolis municipal government. 4 other municipalities in marion county not part of indianapolis government ( excluded cities , town ), receive county services unigov, including representation city-county council of indianapolis , marion county , mayor. area of marion county not within included or excluded towns known balance. state capital of indiana, indianapolis seat of state government.

local government


the city-county building houses executive, legislative, , judicial branches of municipal government.

indianapolis has consolidated city-county government, status has held since 1970. under structure, many functions of city , county governments consolidated, though remain separate. city has mayor-council form of government.

the executive branch headed elected mayor, serves chief executive of both city , marion county. joe hogsett, democrat, 49th , current mayor of indianapolis. mayor appoints deputy mayors, department heads, , members of various boards , commissions. city-county council of indianapolis , marion county legislative body , consists of 25 members, of whom represent geographic districts. council has exclusive power adopt budgets, levy taxes, , make appropriations. can enact, repeal, or amend ordinances, , make appointments boards , commissions. city s annual budget $1.1 billion. judicial branch consists of circuit court, superior court 4 divisions , 32 judges, , small claims court. 3 branches, along local government departments, based in city-county building.

public safety

indianapolis emergency medical services largest provider of pre-hospital medical care in city, responding 95,000 emergency dispatch calls annually. agency s coverage area includes 6 townships within city (center, franklin, lawrence, perry, warren, , washington) , town of speedway. of 2017, charles miramonti, md ems chief.

the indianapolis fire department (ifd) provides fire protection services primary emergency response agency 278 square miles (720 km) of marion county. ifd provides automatic , mutual aid excluded municipalities of beech grove, lawrence, , speedway, decatur, pike, , wayne townships have retained own fire departments. fire district comprises 7 geographic battalions 44 fire stations, dual-staffing forty-fifth station city of lawrence fire department. of 2014, 1,205 sworn firefighters responded 100,000 incidents annually. of 2016, ernest malone fire chief.

indianapolis metropolitan police department interceptor in 2008.

indianapolis metropolitan police department (impd) full-service metropolitan police department jurisdiction covers marion county, exception of beech grove, lawrence, southport, speedway, , indianapolis international airport, served indianapolis airport authority police department. in 2016, impd operated 6 precincts 1,640 sworn police personnel , 200 civilian employees. of 2017, bryan roach chief of police.

according fbi s 2015 uniform crime report, indianapolis ranks 16th dangerous city in u.s., 17.1 homicides per 100,000 people, compared u.s. rate of 4.9 homicides per 100,000 people. between 2012 , 2014, murder rate rose 44%. there 138 homicides in 2014, 60% of victims being young black men. 144 criminal homicides, 2015 surpassed 1998 year murder investigations in city. there 447 nonfatal shootings in 2015, representing 24% increase on 361 shootings recorded during same time period in 2014. homicides peaked again in 2016, 149 murders. law enforcement has blamed increased violence on combination of root causes, including poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, , availability of firearms.

state government


the indiana statehouse houses executive, legislative, , judicial branches of state government.

as state capital, indianapolis seat of indiana s state government. city has hosted capital since move corydon in 1825. indiana statehouse, located downtown, houses executive, legislative, , judicial branches of state government, including offices of governor of indiana , lieutenant governor of indiana, indiana general assembly, , indiana supreme court. state departments , agencies located in indiana government centers north , south. indiana governor s residence located on meridian street in butler-tarkington neighborhood, 5 miles (8.0 km) north of downtown.

federal government

most of indianapolis within indiana s 7th congressional district, represented andré carson (d–indianapolis), while northern portions of city in indiana s 5th congressional district, represented susan brooks (r–carmel). federal field offices located in birch bayh federal building , united states courthouse (which houses united states district court southern district of indiana) , minton-capehart federal building, both located downtown. defense finance , accounting service, agency of u.s. department of defense, headquartered in nearby lawrence.

politics

until recently, indianapolis considered 1 of conservative major cities in u.s. republicans held mayor s office 32 years (1967–1999), , controlled city-county council inception in 1970 2003. since early-2000s, city s politics have gradually shifted more liberal. of 2014, city regarded politically moderate.

republican greg ballard chose not run third term in 2015 mayoral election. republican chuck brewer , democrat joe hogsett candidates replace him. each had similar plans addressing city s issues, , commonality between them contributed low voter turnout. hogsett held public office indiana secretary of state, , had served in government on 30 years, giving him greater name recognition brewer, local restaurateur. hogsett elected 63% of vote, officially taking office on january 1, 2016.

the 2015 city-county council elections left democrats in control of council, holding 13–12 majority on republicans, second time since creation of unigov democrats controlled both mayor s office , council.

recent political issues of local concern have included cutting city s structural deficit, planning , construction of new criminal justice center, homelessness, streetlights, , improved mass transit , transportation infrastructure.