Officials planned a gun-free zone in Broad Ripple after shooting. Why it hasn't panned out

Just hours after three people were gunned down and killed in Broad Ripple’s entertainment district in June, officials announced their intent to try and keep guns out of the area.

Authorities announced an arrest Thursday in connection with the shooting, but the gun-free zone requested by the Broad Ripple Village Association is still not in place and may never pan out.

Three months ago, Mayor Joe Hogsett, Police Chief Randal Taylor and other city officials stood behind the podium at the Sunday morning press conference as a village association board member announced plans to request the gun-free zone for Friday and Saturday nights.

“If this permit is approved, I have pledged my full support that IMPD and other city agencies will provide the resources and support to enforce this reasonable request,” Hogsett told reporters.

Logistical issues have stood in the way of Broad Ripple gun-free zone

Several factors have stood in the way of the village association making the request and for now association officials say that they do not expect to see the area become a gun-free zone any time soon.

"We are not closing the door on it (the gun-free zone) but as it stands right now, it's not something we can successfully pull off,” said Jordan Dillon, executive director of the Broad Ripple Village Association. “The city was very open and willing to support us on it but there were certain things we had to do on our own. That's kind of where it started to crumble.”

Hogsett first announced the city's intention to help enforce gun-free zone requests in late May, and encouraged civic, neighborhood and private organizations that host crowded events to make requests.

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Groups like the village association that planned to host an event at a public place could request a gun-free zone via the city's permitting process. The city would then help with enforcement, which includes containing the area and using advanced screening technology.

Before the shooting in Broad Ripple, the gun-free zone successfully debuted in Indianapolis at the WonderRoad Music Fest in June.

For Dillon and the village association, the first challenge with getting a gun-free zone in Broad Ripple off the ground began with having to request permits for every Friday and Saturday night they wanted the zone in place.

“We ran into some of these challenges because this is a neighborhood,” Dillon said. “This isn't a one-time event like a concert or a festival. The idea hasn’t been tested or set up in this way yet.”

Borders for Broad Ripple gun-free zone unclear

The village association also ran into problems determining where to place the borders of the gun-free zone. Some bars and late-night businesses would have been left out of the zone because of how Broad Ripple is laid out, Dillon said.

“This isn't a straight shot,” Dillon said. “There are alleys, back doors into businesses and multiple entries into businesses. It's not as cookie cutter as it might seem.”

The village association also had trouble finding an insurance company to work with on the gun-free zone. Part of the city’s permitting process requires insurance, similar to how special events held in the city need to be insured for liability purposes.

After running into so many logistical problems, Dillon believes her organization does not have the bandwidth to get the gun-free zone in place anytime soon but said other safety measures have become a focus.

"To be honest, here's my question: Why should we have the bandwidth to do this on our own?” Dillon asked. “Why is that onus put on a very small nonprofit?"

Mark Bode, communications director for Hogsett's office, said the city is still ready to assist the village association if the gun-free zone request moves forward.

“We remain committed to working with BRVA and other stakeholders to keep Broad Ripple a safe and welcoming area,” Bode said when asked what he might say to business owners, residents and visitors who are disappointed the gun-free zone has not yet been implemented. “Assisting an event organizer to host gun-free events is just one piece of that approach, which also includes IMPD personnel, camera technologies, parking lot security, and more.”

Village association and city focus on other safety efforts in Broad Ripple

Since the shooting, the village association has focused on uniting and strategizing with late-night business owners, Dillon said.

The late-night business owners have been meeting with Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers at least once a month and talking about issues as they come up, Dillon said.

The business owners are providing each other with names of patrons who are causing problems in hopes of stopping them from causing future issues. Some businesses began closing early after the shooting and discontinued day parties and the use of promoters to host events.

“Everyone is really putting public safety first and they are trying to balance that with running a successful business,” Dillon said. “They understand they have the support of those people around them, the BRVA and our residents and community.”

The village association and IMPD have also focused on stopping loitering in parking lots, where groups of people would park and drink late at night in the past. No trespassing agreements with the lot owners have been reached for many of the larger lots in the village and additional lighting has been added to many, Dillon said.

The village association is now focusing on working with owners of the smaller parking lots in the village to get better lighting and no trespassing agreements.

In addition, since the shooting, about 30 more B-link cameras were added to different locations in the village through a grant from the Indy Public Safety Foundation. Dillon noted requests for the cameras were submitted before the shooting.

“We are lighting this place up with video camera coverage,” Dillon said. “While it can't necessarily be proactive, it definitely sends out a message that if you are in this area and not following the rules there are cameras everywhere.”

Dillon is hoping the safety efforts will be enough for residents and visitors to continue to visit the village.

“Everyone was scared for a while and had good reason to be,” Dillon said. “Our businesses, the association and IMPD are working hand-in-hand to make sure people can come down here feel safe and enjoy themselves.”

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Broad Ripple gun-free zone still not in place after June shooting