INDIANAPOLIS – IMPD cracked down on a series of illegal underage parties over the weekend.
While no arrests were made in the busts, police say their goal wasn’t to put kids in jail, but to send a message and prevent violence.
It all started at a duplex along West 28th Street near Boulevard, where dozens of juveniles showed up to a large party around 12 a.m. Sunday morning.
“It’s hard to know how many kids were here. There were 20 or 30 outside. Hard to know how many were inside,” said neighbor Abe Schnake.
Schnake lives next door to the home where police say organizers illegally charged an entry fee and disturbed neighbors.
“It was definitely disruptive. I’m glad police were here to break it up,” said Schnake.
After police showed up to 28th Street, detectives learned of another location receiving multiple 911 calls from neighbors about a large group of juveniles throwing a party. At 12:30 a.m., IMPD southeast district officers went to the new location and observed several of the same vehicles from the previous location starting to park.
According to a release by IMPD, officers activated their emergency lights and saturated the area to deter the arriving juveniles from stopping at the party. Several vehicles occupied by juveniles began to leave.
Police claim there were then able to identify four more locations where the juveniles would possibly relocate. At each location, officers showed and caused the juvenile crowds to disperse.
When officers arrived at the last location for the party at 2:00 a.m., they could hear loud music coming from the rear of a home and several illegally parked vehicles filled the neighborhood. Between 20-30 juveniles exited the home.
Police insist those underage parties can pose a public safety risk. Last month, a teen was hospitalized after being shot at an underage party on Indy’s east side near 13th and Post Road.
“The goal is always to prevent violence. Hopefully we were able to do that. There’s no telling how many lives were saved. We’ve seen underage parties get out of control,” said Young.
“We will never know what crimes were prevented this weekend by the work of our IMPD Nuisance Abatement Unit, district officers, and crime analysts. What we do know is that proactive policing save lives,” said Chief Chris Bailey.
“I want to thank them and the community members who helped ensure the safety of their neighborhoods. Your partnership is invaluable, and IMPD remains committed to protecting of our city and proactively addressing these issues,” Bailey added.
“It’s disruptive. I’m not a fan of it happening next door, but it is kids being kids,” said Schnake.
Unlike last month’s shooting, no one was hurt over the weekend and Schnake admits he never felt threatened.
Still, police claim the proactive policing was designed to prevent gun violence, drug use and other crimes. At the same time, IMPD encourages parents everywhere to step up and keep their kids out of trouble.
“We want parents to be in your child’s business. Know where they’re at so you can get in front of it before we have to as law enforcement,” said Young.
IMPD encourages residents to report such disruptive parties by contacting IMPD Nuisance Abatement at 317-327-6169 or mailto:[email protected]. for emergencies or immediate concerns, please call 911.
