IMPD increases patrols at the city’s parks and pools

INDIANAPOLIS — With summer in full swing and concerns growing about violence in Indianapolis, IMPD is increasing patrols in the city’s parks and pools.

“It makes me feel a lot safer,” said Wendy Singh-Law, an Indianapolis parent.

Those were the first words Singh-Law said when she learned about extra IMPD patrols monitoring the city’s parks and pools.

“Just me not keeping an eye on them 24/7 and what’s going to happen that split second I don’t keep an eye on them. It’s nice to have an extra pair of eyes on them,” she added.

This is just the third weekend for many of the city’s pools to open, and more facilities are expected to open this weekend, which is why IMPD says these extra patrols are even more important.

“People are going to be getting out,” said IMPD Sgt. Genae Cook. “School’s out, and we want to make sure all the safety things are in place to prevent anyone from getting hurt.”

The extra patrols include officers who will be working overtime, parking outside of the pools, and some of the busier parks.

“A lot of times, you might see fights among juveniles,” said Sgt. Cook. “That seems to be the biggest thing. Older teens getting into disagreements. That’s where we want to cut that off.”

In the past few weeks, IMPD has responded to several incidents involving violence at parks. None, however, at the city’s pools.

“We put sole responsibility on our IMPD officers to keep the safety in our facilities. That is who we count on,” said Jordan Elder, the senior manager of aquatics at Indy Parks and Recreation.

Pool staff at Garfield Park say they normally only see minor problems from children and teens every now and then, but when the bigger problems happen, they are prepared to make sure everyone is safe in and out of the pool.

“We want to make sure everyone who comes into our pools today leaves with a happy and smiling face,” Elder said.

For parents like Wendy Singh-Law, the extra safety measures go a long way.

“I couldn’t imagine losing one of my children,” she said. “Safety is super important for me and my family because we are all we have, and I couldn’t imagine something happening to them that is beyond my control.”

If you have any concerns about park and pool safety this summer, IMPD is encouraging you to call park officials at this number: (317) 327-PARK.