INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – People living in a south side Indianapolis suburb say crime is getting out of hand there.
They’re convinced it’s getting worse every day in Perry Township. We looked at the numbers from IMPD and showed neighbors what the data is saying.
Derek Walden lives in Perry Township and said he has seen his fair share of property crimes recently.
“My car has gotten broken into twice, my house has gotten egged, my mailbox has gotten hit with a baseball bat,” said Walden.
That’s why he invested in security cameras.
“Last five years, crime has gotten out of hand a little bit,” explained Walden.
However, according to IMPD’s records, the numbers don’t show an increase in crime. Since 2014, there are about 100 fewer violent crime incidents per year, and property crime has also seen a slight decline..
Neighbors said there’s a reason the numbers have dropped.
“There’s more crime, it’s just so much petty crime nobody is reporting it,” said Walden.
Melanie Murdick thinks that may be true, but she also thinks people are more connected than ever. She’s part of several Perry Township watch groups on social media.
“People are just becoming more aware or talking to each other more, like there’s been mail stolen, and that has been a really big thing lately,” said Murdick.
Due to that information, her family made a safety investment.
“We bought a security system here,” said Murdick. “Our neighbors got broken into a year ago, actually several of these homes got broken into.”
Meanwhile, Walden said he’s calling on his neighbors to help get rid of the riffraff.
“Community has got to take their neighborhood back,” said Walden.
Even if you feel a crime committed against you is unlikely to be solved, it is still be a good idea to file a police report so that crime statistics reflect what’s really going on in your community.