John Tuohy, and Jill Disis

IndyStar





Mayor Greg Ballard Wednesday outlined a crime-fighting plan that calls for a preschool program designed to keep kids off a troubled path, more police officers and a crack down on gun crimes.

Supporters of the mayor hailed the proposal as visionary, but critics saw it as a first strike in the 2015 mayoral campaign that is likely to focus on public safety and the city's rising violence.

The centerpiece of the proposal is a $50 million in public-private investment to make high-quality preschool available to 1,300 4-year-olds in low-income Indianapolis families for each of the next five years.

Combined with his call to hire more police, tighten curfews for minors and urge tougher sentences for gun crimes, Ballard said his package attacks the underlying causes of crime and is more comprehensive than approaches that have failed.

"If we are ever going to solve the crime problem we have to address what causes the issue," Ballard said. "We have to change the mix. We can't go down this path anymore. It pains me personally to know we've been putting children down this path forever. It needs to change."

Jason Kloth, Ballard's deputy mayor of education, said the preschool program would reduce crime for years to come.

"It directly combats the effects of childhood poverty," Kloth said. Children with early schooling need less special education, have higher high school graduation rates and higher college enrollment rates, he said. In addition, those children are less likely to commit crimes.

The city's homicide rate has been rising the past three years after having reached near record low numbers in the two-term mayor's early years in office. Indianapolis is now on pace for 150 murders this year, well above last year's 125, which was the most in seven years.

Roughly $40 million of the early schooling investment would go toward voluntary preschool scholarships and $10 million for grants to help program providers reach the top tiers of state ratings.

The city would provide half of the $50 million through the elimination of a homestead tax credit while private donations would provide the other $25 million. Axing the tax credit would cost 40 percent of the city's homeowners about $2 a week.

The mayor's proposal also calls for providing educational opportunities for students who have been expelled from school and are locked up in juvenile detention.

Much of the rest of the plan is a re-iteration of strategies that Ballard's Republican administration has previously proposed — and the Democratic City-County Council president said it doesn't include enough new police officers.

"We already know that number is not sufficient," Lewis said. "It doesn't get us where we want to go. This is just kicking the can down the road."

Ballard would pay for the new officers by raising the public safety income tax from 0.35 percent to 0.5 percent to collect $24 million annually to pay for the additional officers

The tax bump, which needs council approval, would cost a taxpayer earning $42,000 a year $5.32 per month, or about $64 a year.

The tax increase would pay for 360 new officers by 2018, for a net gain to the force of 112, after attrition.

An IMPD Staffing Study Commission in April recommended hiring 480 officers between now and then for an increase of 270 cops. But the commission also recommended that cash from the tax credit elimination, about $7.5 million a year, help pay for the officers, not preschool.

"He is going against IMPD leadership, which helped make those recommendations," Lewis said of the mayor.

The Fraternal Order of Police vice president Rick Snyder called Ballard's proposal "a step in the right direction but not enough."

"We need 500 new officers to be hired over the next five years, and his plan will only restore our manpower back to a level where it was 12 years ago," Snyder said.

Democrats, who hold a 15-14 majority on the council, have voted three times against doing away with the tax credit to fund more police. Lewis said shifting the money to preschool funding was unlikely to make councilors any more inclined to pass it.

"This will make it a harder sale," Lewis said. "I think he is punting this (tax credit proposal) to the council. I've been against eliminating it but have said the only way I would consider it is if it went to hiring more police."

Snyder agreed. "The tax credit elimination was proposed with the understanding it would go toward police," he said. "This muddies the waters."

Supporters of the mayor's preschool proposal said it would be a shame if disagreements over the funding mechanism derailed the plan.

"It would be a huge missed opportunity," said Ted Maple, CEO of Day Nursery. "We've already seen the consequences of children who don't get the opportunity at early learning."

The Rev. Charles Harrison, who heads the crime reduction organization, Ten Point Coalition, said he supported the mayor's plan because it attacks core social problems.

"This plan makes sense for our children, neighborhoods and our city," Harrison said in a prepared statement. "Violence and crime, if not addressed at the root causes, will hurt not just the individuals involved but the community as a whole."

Some observers described Ballard's announcement as a mix of policy and campaign strategy. Crime is expected to be a major campaign issue in 2015, especially if Democrat U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett enters the race as is widely expected.

Edward Frantz, associate professor of history and director of the Institute of Civic Leadership/mayoral archives at the University of Indianapolis, said Ballard's announcement might have been planned as a "preemptive strike" against a potential bid from Hogsett.

"Obviously (violence) has been the issue of the summer, and Ballard's coming at it significantly."

Joel Miller, chairman of the Marion County Democratic Party, agreed.

"He's in campaign mode. He's got to get out of the gate fast," Miller said. "He's been criticized for infrastructure and potholes and this homicide wave we've been seeing."

Kyle Walker, chairman of the county Republicans, said the mayor's plan is well-crafted policy.

"This was a long-time in the making and was the mayor's opportunity to present a holistic approach to crime for generations to come," Walker said. "This was broad, bold and comprehensive. Definitely not a campaign event."

Star reporters Justin Mack and Eric Weddle contributed to this report.Call Star reporter John Tuohy at 444-6418 and follow on Twitter @john_tuohy.