At the time of its formation, the IMPD was headed by the elected sheriff of Marion County, Frank J. Anderson. However, on February 29, 2008, the department came under the control of the mayor of Indianapolis, Greg Ballard, after Ballard and Anderson reached a resolution for the transfer of power and the City-County Council passed Proposal 6 effecting the change. The IMPD is part of the Department of Public Safety. The mayor appoints the Director of Public Safety, who in turn appoints the Chief of Police to administer the daily operations of the department. IMPD has six service districts.
Downtown District
The Downtown District is under the command of Commander Phillip Burton. Due to the nature of the area and the number of large events held here, this district relies heavily on foot, bicycle, and mounted patrol officers. The headquarters for the district is at 39 W. Jackson Street in the historic Union Station. It is bounded by 10th Street and I-65 to the north, I-70/I-65 to the east, Morris Street to the south, and the White River to the west.
80 sworn officers
12,929 residents and an estimated 2,000,000 visitors in 2018
In 2018, Downtown District officers responded to 20,835 calls for service and proactively addressed an additional 20,014 incidents.
North District
The North District is under the command of Commander Michael Wolley. It is bounded by 96th Street to the north; the city of Lawrence to the east; Massachusetts Avenue, 30th Street, and Fall Creek to the south; and Michigan Road to the west. Its headquarters is at 3120 E. 30th Street.
198 sworn officers
209,916 residents
In 2018, North District responded to 69,676 calls for service
East District
The East District is under the command of Commander Richard Riddle. It is bounded by the city of Lawrence to the north; Carrol Road to the east; Washington Street and Brookville Road to the south; and I-65 and Meridian Street to the west. The district maintains their headquarters at 201 N. Shadeland Avenue, also known as the Regional Operations Center or ROC.
205 sworn officers
145,489 residents
In 2018 East District responded to 81,121 calls for service.
Southeast District
The Southeast District is under the command of Commander Ronald Hicks. It is bounded by Washington Street to the north; Carroll Road to the east; County Line Road to the South; and Meridian Street to the west. Headquarters for this district is located in Fountain Square at 1150 Shelby Street.
160 sworn officers
175,812 residents
60,217 calls for service were answered by Southeast District officers in 2018.
Southwest District
Command for the Southwest District falls to Commander Susan Hill The district's northern boundary consists of 10th Street until the town of Speedway, around Speedway until 16th Street, and following 16th to the White River; the eastern boundary is White River to Morris Street, then east until Meridian Street, and then south to County Line Road; the southern boundary is County Line Road; and the western boundary is Raceway Road. The district's headquarters is at 551 N. King Avenue.
148 sworn officers
136,680 residents
Southwest District answered 53,315 calls for service in 2018.
Northwest District
Commander Lorenzo Lewis is in command of the Northwest District. The boundaries for the district are 96th Street to the north; Michigan, I-65, and Meridian Street to the east; 10th Street, 16th Street, the Town of Speedway, and 10th Street again to the south; and Raceway Road to the west. The headquarters is at 3821 Industrial Boulevard.
161 sworn officers
143,395 residents
In 2018 Northwest District responded to 54,990 calls for service.
Special Units and Criminal Investigations
In addition to the service districts detailed above, the department also maintains an Investigations Division for investigation of major crimes such as murder, rape, and those related to narcotics, gangs, or organized crime. The department also maintains five special units:
Aviation Section - Operates one helicopter to support vehicle patrols and pursuits.
Canine Section - Extensively trains dogs and handlers for use in police investigations and operations.
Mounted Patrol - Operates in downtown district primarily, serving areas not accessible to vehicle patrols.
SWAT - High-risk operations division divided into three sections: Snipers/Observers, Entry, and Tactical Emergency Medical Specialists.
Rank structure
The rank structure of the department is as follows:
Title
Insignia
Badge color
Uniform
Chief of Police
Gold
Navy blue Shirt
Assistant Chief
Gold
Navy blue Shirt
Deputy Chief
Gold
Navy blue Shirt
Commander
Gold
Navy blue Shirt
Major
Gold
Navy blue Shirt
Captain
Gold
Navy blue Shirt
Lieutenant
Gold
Navy blue Shirt
Sergeant
Gold
Navy blue Shirt
Detective
Silver
Navy blue Shirt
Patrolman
Silver
Navy blue Shirt
-
-
Silver
-
-
-
Silver
-
-
-
Silver
-
-
-
Silver
-
-
-
Silver
-
-
-
Silver
-
Weapons
Glock 22.40 S&W was standard issue and was to be phased out in 2016, but following issues with the Glock 17M, the Glock 22 was put back into service until the issue could be addressed with Glock and the department.
Glock 17M 9mm is the new issue weapon for 2016 and 2017. Currently all sworn officers have been issued the 17M and the Glock 22 has been completely phased out.
Remington 870 Pump Action is the standard issue shotgun for the department. The department also uses a less lethal shotgun for certain situations where deadly force isn't needed but a Taser or pepper spray is ineffective.
AR-15 is the patrol rifle utilized by the officers of the department during intense situations and other situations where a pistol or a shotgun is to little effect. The IMPD uses the Colt CAR-15A3 RO997 as does the agency's SWAT unit.
On-duty deaths
, four Indianapolis Metropolitan police officers have been killed in the line of duty.