Hogsett says new IMPD chief will come from within department

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said he is taking his time in selecting the city's next police chief to ensure the right person is hired for the job.

During a press briefing Wednesday morning, Hogsett also said the new leader will come from within the ranks of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The mayor said he's interviewed about a half dozen internal candidates for the job.

"I want to make sure that it's the right decision," Hogsett said, adding he has not interviewed any external candidates.

While he's expecting to name a new chief sooner rather than later, Hogsett didn't specify a deadline for when that could happen.

More: Interim Indianapolis police chief announced alongside other role changes

That's partly due to his appointing Christopher Bailey, the department's second in command, to serve as acting police chief, taking some pressure off the mayor to quickly name a permanent successor to former Police Chief Randal Taylor.

Taylor announced in December that he was stepping down as chief for another role in the department and to eventually retire. He is now serving as commander of IMPD's Victims Services Section.

The city announced nearly two weeks ago that Bailey would take on the temporary role and is working with experts to modernize the police department. Bailey, who also attended the briefing, reiterated that priority Wednesday. Though the city has already said Bailey has taken himself out of consideration for the role permanently, the acting chief said he doesn't intend to sit still in the role while he has it.

His other priority tasks include working to reduce violent crime, teaming with OPHS and on-the-ground partners as well as reexamining human resources processes to address IMPD's recruitment issues. Bailey also said the department is still moving forward with plans to engage an outside expert to examine the increase in officer-involved shootings.

Bailey said IMPD is in the process of selecting a research partner who could produce a public report in about a year.

IndyStar is tracking shootings where Indianapolis police injure or kill a person. Read more here.

New research from the Mapping Police Violence Project found that 2023 was the deadliest year for killings by police in the United States, with 1,333 people killed. According to the report, police killed 36 in Indiana with 12 of those deaths in Marion County.

Contact IndyStar investigative reporter Alexandria Burris at aburris@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @allyburris.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mayor: Search for new IMPD police chief focused on internal candidates