Senate Republicans from Marion County unveiled a bundle of proposals today targeted at lowering crime in the county and throughout the state.
Senate Bill 6, sponsored by Indiana State Senator Michael Young (R), would minimize the number of dangerous criminals released on bond by forcing judges to examine arrest warrants prior to release, conducting open bail hearings, and requiring the arrestee to pay the entire minimum bail amount in cash.
“We have seen far too many violent convicts released back into our communities with little or no monitoring,” Young said in a statement. “This has resulted in the damage and murder of countless citizens and law enforcement personnel.” “I believe we can reduce the frequency of these acts of violence by improving the accountability and transparency of our bail system.”
Senate Bill 7, sponsored by State Senator Jack Sandlin (R-Indianapolis), would create a Marion County crime reduction board that would enable law enforcement agencies to communicate with one another.
In a news release, Sandlin stated, “Making ensuring all of our law enforcement agencies have access to all relevant information and resources is just one way we can assist decrease crime in the downtown police districts.” “I think that enabling everyone engaged to operate as a single entity with shared aims would help us go in the right path.”
Senate Bill 8 was presented by State Senator Aaron Freeman (R-Indianapolis) to regulate charity bail organizations by requiring them to register with the Department of Insurance. These organizations would also be prohibited from bailing out anyone who has been charged with a felony under this rule.
“In the previous year, we’ve witnessed a number of violent occurrences because these organizations enable dangerous offenders to go free and unsupervised.” “These non-governmental organizations require a set of criteria to follow,” Freeman continued. “Public funds should never be used to bail out criminals, and if bail is paid by a nonprofit organization, the money should be used to cover court administrative costs and deducted from the amount returned.”
Senate Bill 9, sponsored by State Senator Kyle Walker (R-Lawrence), would tighten electronic monitoring regulations by boosting supervision of persons who are being watched and raising penalties for tampering with monitors. Victims will also be notified if the person wearing a monitor departs their assigned place under this proposal.
“This law would formalize criteria to guarantee that we are adequately ready to handle the vast number of people under surveillance,” Walker said. “We need to examine how this system works, given the amount of times criminals take off monitors or just conduct crimes while wearing one.”
Senate Bill 10, sponsored by State Senator Michael Crider (R-Greenfield), would create a pilot program to allocate funding to high-crime regions to pay overtime and other services for police personnel. The program would be run by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
“We’d be able to target places with the highest crime rates this way,” Crider explained. “By allocating resources where they are most needed, we will be able to have more boots on the ground, keeping our communities secure.”
The Indiana General Assembly will meet on January 4th for the 2022 legislative session.
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