Madeline Buckley, and James Briggs

IndyStar

By tapping Bryan Roach as the new leader of the police force, Mayor Joe Hogsett signaled at once both a continuation of current strategy and a change.

Roach said he is a "firm believer" in the beat policing and data initiatives championed by former Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Troy Riggs, and will, for the most part, stay the course. He has played a role in formulating Hogsett's sweeping criminal justice reform plans, and said he believes in that vision, too.

But unlike his two recent predecessors, Roach, 51, an assistant chief, is the consummate insider. He was born in Indianapolis, graduated from Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis and has worked at IMPD for 26 years. He rose through the ranks slowly but steadily. Hogsett noted that Roach has held every rank at IMPD.

Now, he will step into the final and highest role.

"I'm confident that the men and women of the police department appreciate that vote of confidence," Roach said of his appointment from within the ranks. "I feel I have been prepared by them and others in my life for this, which I believe to be a calling. I promise I won't let them down."

Flanked by council members and IMPD officials, Hogsett announced the appointment at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, citing a need for a leader who was shaped by — and is committed to — the community.

"Where one in three children live in poverty. Where our homicide rate is far too high. Where it is easier for many of our children to get their hands on a gun ... than on a diploma," Hogsett said. "Bryan Roach is best equipped to face those challenges."

The announcement came just weeks after Riggs' surprise resignation after serving for less than a year, citing the position's low pay of $117,187 per year.

Roach said he has pledged to serve for at least three years — another factor that will ensure continuity during Hogsett's term.

A chief who rose 'through the ranks'

A soft-spoken man with a deliberate manner, Roach previously served as the assistant chief of administration, where he was the department's budget and data point person.

Roach was instrumental in implementing IMPD's Narcan program, Hogsett said, which has saved 200 people from overdose deaths. He has helped oversee the department's data center, one of Riggs' key aims during his tenure.

He was born and raised in Indianapolis, and joined the department in 1991. He was a North District patrol officer, a narcotics detective and SWAT officer. He has received two Medals of Valor and the Medal of Merit for instances when he was shot at, as well as working on administrative and policy issues.

Roach is a member of the Mormon church, which helped lead him into a career in policing. A two-year mission trip to Italy, in part, inspired him to become a police officer. His roots are deep in Indianapolis: His wife has been a local business owner for 10 years, and he has three children.

It's a departure from recent years when former mayors looked outside the city to bring in new influence.

Former Chief Rick Hite came out of retirement from the Baltimore Police Department to take on a role in the city's public safety department, and then soon after that, was named police chief. Hite's successor, Riggs, also was lured to Indianapolis from the outside, having served as police chief in Corpus Christi, Texas, as well as in police and government roles in Louisville, Ky., before he took on the role of director of the now-defunct public safety department in Indianapolis in 2012.

"It's good to have community ties," Hite said, but he noted: "You also have to recognize innovative policing and emerging trends."

Roach's appointment was met with satisfaction by city leaders who hoped for a chief plucked from the inside who would not shake up the status quo.

In a statement, Fraternal Order of Police President Rick Snyder praised Roach as a professional — and commended the mayor for choosing a chief who "worked his way up through the ranks."

Roach’s appointment also drew bipartisan praise from the City-County Council, including from members who have expressed impatience with the city’s growing murder rate over the past two years.

Jeff Coats, a Republican who sits on the public safety committee, said Roach is the “right guy for the job.”

Coats in December called for the public safety committee to scrutinize the city’s police budget in the wake of Riggs’ departure and the new murder record. But he applauded Hogsett’s appointment Wednesday.

“(Roach) seems to have a servant leadership heart,” Coats said. “He’s just a very thoughtful individual, very professional. He seems to be concerned about the community and the well-being of his officers.”

Several council members said they hoped Hogsett would choose an internal candidate such as Roach.

“It’s important that we have someone internal to transition to the new year,” said Leroy Robinson, a Democrat who represents the northwest side. “We want to continue the mission that’s already been in place.”

Marilyn Pfisterer, a west-side Republican, said she thinks Roach will build strong ties to the city’s neighborhood groups, including with the Ten Point Coalition, an anti-violence group that patrols targeted areas.

“He will reach out to neighborhood leaders,” she said. “I think getting the engagement of the public at large is going to be the best and most effective way of addressing our crimes.”

New chief, similar strategy

Roach will take the reins at a time of challenge and change for the department. With 149 criminal homicides in 2016, the city experienced its deadliest year for the second consecutive year. Hogsett also is pushing for a series of reforms across Marion County's criminal justice system, including a new jail and services to treat offenders who struggle with mental illness and substance abuse.

In this backdrop, the new chief is faced with a question: What will he change or add, if anything, from Riggs' approach to combat the city's complex public safety problems?

Roach spoke of his support for the criminal justice reform that Hogsett is championing.

"It has always been important to me that people who don’t belong in the criminal justice system don’t end up in the criminal justice system," he said. "I know change is possible and I have seen it in my career.

When Riggs resigned, Hogsett signaled that he would choose a replacement to continue with the key visions outlined by Riggs and Hogsett in early 2016, after Hogsett, a former federal prosecutor, campaigned on a platform of public safety.

Those strategies included smaller coverage areas for officers in some parts of the city, including the focus areas that make up a high percentage of the city's violent crime. The goal was to foster trust between officers and the community. Riggs also placed a larger emphasis on warrant sweeps. Last year, IMPD beefed up efforts to address drug and guns crime, reversing what Riggs called a community of drug dealers who had grown more powerful and emboldened.

The results have been a mixed bag. Police near the end of 2016 touted a 10 percent reduction in homicides and a 7 percent drop in shootings in the high-crime neighborhoods on which officers have focused. Nonfatal shootings dropped slightly last year. Still, killings rose to record levels — a fact nagging at Hogsett, and now Roach, as they seek to create reforms that treat the root causes of gun violence.

Roach also said he wants to improve the department's data center, which he said isn't yet meeting its potential.

Roach summarized his policing philosophy in three points: Officers should be proactive about building trusting relationships; officers must treat people as people, no matter the circumstance; and simple solutions to complex problems can be found through collaboration.

In regards to building trust in the community, Roach on Wednesday met with a group of pastors and community leaders to hear their concerns, said David Hampton, the deputy mayor for neighborhoods and senior pastor of Light of the World Christian Church. Hampton said members asked Roach about transparency, and whether he will work to increase diversity in the police force.

One concern from the community, Hampton said, is whether the police department can be forthcoming with them while they ask the community for its help in solving crimes.

"The community does not always feel reciprocated with information," Hampton said. "(Roach) ensured he would look into that."

IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack contributed to this story.

Call IndyStar reporter Madeline Buckley at (317) 444-6083. Follow her on Twitter: @Mabuckley88.

Call IndyStar reporter James Briggs at (317) 444-6307. Follow him on Twitter: @JamesEBriggs.

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