Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee Meeting - October 2, 2025
Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee Meeting - October 2, 2025
The Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee convened on October 2, 2025, with Dan Boots (District 3) serving as Acting Chair in the absence of Chairman Leroy Robinson. The meeting focused on four reappointment/approval proposals and a code amendment concerning board compositions for public health, domestic violence review, early intervention, and the forensic services agency.
Consent Calendar
- Proposal 315: Reappointed Dwayne Ingram to the Board of Public Health and Safety by unanimous vote. Staff noted a minor discrepancy where the council member's resume lacked current role details at "Rise Indy," which was clarified as Vice President of Community Affairs. Ingram confirmed no financial or oversight connection exists between Rise Indy and the Board's grant activities.
- Proposal 318: Reappointed Danette Smith to the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team by unanimous vote. Smith confirmed the board meets monthly and has established a direct channel to provide meeting notes to the Council.
- Proposal 319: Reappointed Wendy Tucker to the Early Intervention Planning Council by unanimous vote. Tucker confirmed the board consists of approximately 12 members and does not oversee city grants (distinct from the McCoy program).
Discussion Items
- Reappointment of Dwayne Ingram: Councilor Graves inquired about the board's oversight of "elevation grants." Ingram stated his understanding that these grants are administered by the Indianapolis Foundation and not overseen by the Public Health and Safety Board. The board does review former ARPA funds for youth-serving organizations and plans to receive progress reports from Deputy Chief Kendall Adams regarding public safety grants. Councilor Hart sought clarification on conflict of interest regarding Ingram's role at Rise Indy; Ingram affirmed he would recuse himself if a conflict arose, though none currently exists.
- Reappointment of Danette Smith: Smith provided a position update on domestic violence trends in Marion County, noting a decrease in homicides from 34 in 2022 to 9 in 2024, and currently 6. She attributed this positive trend to collective coordination among domestic violence agencies (Indy Champions) and funding access during COVID, despite current funding decreases. The council discussed the protocol for receiving board notes, confirming they are available upon request.
- Reappointment of Wendy Tucker: Tucker expressed her position of advocating for the health of children in Marion County to prevent maladaptive behaviors. Councillor Hart noted a discrepancy between the agenda and visual attendance records, clarifying the board has 12 members despite the agenda listing fewer names.
- Proposal 320: Richard Amberger, Director of Forensic Services, presented a position supporting the amendment of Chapter 283 of the Revised Code. He argued the current ordinance, dating back to 1975, is obsolete as it references discontinued polygraph testing and excludes modern technologies like DNA analysis. The proposed amendment seeks a generic, quality-assurance-based update to cover all current and future testing protocols. Clarifications were provided that the agency does not perform routine testing (except NIBIN for gun violence) unless requested by another agency and does not engage in long-term evidence storage.
Key Outcomes
- Approval of Reappointments: Dwayne Ingram, Danette Smith, and Wendy Tucker were unanimously reappointed to their respective boards.
- Code Amendment Passed: Chapter 283 was amended to update the duties of the Forensic Services Agency, incorporating modern testing methodologies and removing references to defunct procedures like polygraph testing.
- Next Steps: The Public Health and Safety Board will receive reports from Deputy Chief Kendall Adams in November regarding public safety grants. The Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team will provide meeting notes to the committee upon request.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you, everybody. This is the thank you, sir. Thank you, everybody. This is the meeting of the public safety and criminal justice committee on October 2nd, 2025. We're gonna start this evening's meeting by introductions of our counselor starting on my left. Thank you, Mr. Chair Josh Bain, District 21. Thank you, Mr. Chair, Michael Paul Hart, representing District 20. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Brian Mowery, District 25. Ms. Delaney. Thanks, Mr. Thanks, Mr. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good evening, everyone. My name is Keith Graves, District 9 on the Indian at the C side. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Frank Biscarry, Southeast Side District 19. Thank you, everybody. And Chairman Leroy Robinson is out of town, so I have the honor of chairing this evening's meeting. My name is Dan Boots, uh, and I'm in District 3. Uh so we're gonna start this evening in proposal 315, which reappoints Dwayne Ingram to the Board of Public Health and Safety. Mr. Ingram. How are you this evening? Going well, Mr. Saf. Great, thank you. So tell us a little bit, uh, one of just curious your experience on the board and what are your uh maybe aspirations going forward on the board? Thank you, Counselor. Uh good evening, and thank you all for your service to our city of Indianapolis. Uh I'm honored to serve on the Board of Public Health and Safety. Um of the things that I'm proud of one is being um serving as the vice chairman, vice president of the board, um, as well as some of the things that we've done this past year, called a call to attention some contracts that we have been, the city of Indianapolis has been uh operating under that have been delinquent or out of date. Uh we've called to question some decisions uh to kind of rush through items without the due diligence of different um staff members of the city of Indianapolis. Uh and because of our efforts, uh we have done a great job thus far making sure that we really take our fiduciary responsibility to the city uh seriously, and uh we do a do we do our due diligence and vetting contracts and agreements and grants and such that come from the office of the Board of Public Health and Safety, the Office of Public Health and Safety, uh, and we make sure those dollars are used in the most efficient way possible. Great. Um any questions on Mr. Ingram from the council. Yes, Councillor Bain. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Ingram, for your rulings to be reappointed. Um I was going through your resume here, and I believe you've presented to the council before in a different capacity. Um I don't see it on your resume, but do you also have another career like with the Rise Indy?
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