INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD officials say lately, they've invested significantly in technology, worked to bring in more detectives and increased communication between district commanders and task forces. They say it's paying off with a higher homicide clearance rate.
"We're not counting this as a victory," IMPD public information officer William Young said. "We have a long way to go when we talk about our violent crime."
As we've previously reported, a case is considered "cleared" when an arrest is made or charges are filed. From January to now, IMPD says its clearance rate sits at 69%—for all 89 criminal and 24 non-criminal homicides.
"I think the community is fed up with the number of violent crimes, whether that be homicides or aggravated assaults, so that's played a significant role in us being able to make those arrests," Young added.
The numbers are trending notably better compared to last year. At the end of 2023, only 45% of the year's homicides had been cleared. As investigators continue working, the clearance rate for 2023 has risen to 50%. But among the remaining half of unsolved cases—is that of 17-year-old Coreon Waites.
"He was like more of a leader in the family, of friends. Everybody looked up to Coreon, they called him the president," Latasha Waites said.
Waites was killed in March of last year after police say he was shot outside of an apartment complex on the near west side and ran inside for help. His mother, Latasha, has spent the last 16 months waiting for closure she's unsure she'll ever get.
"Very unfair, angry, mad, no answers, confused," Latasha said, describing her emotions.
Coreon was picked up by a friend that day, which Latasha says was captured by security cameras. But what happened once they got to the complex, was not.
"They have the car, they even have the second guy that was in the car," Latasha explained. "They just said they have to investigate more who was the person that pulled the trigger."
IMPD says they'll continue looking at new investigative strategies for all cases as they promote peaceful conflict resolution to prevent violence in the first place. Meanwhile, Latasha Waites hopes for a day that no other parents of teenagers will have to experience the kind of grief that she has.
"Stay in school. Don't be in the streets. Just listen to your parents because the streets are wicked," Latasha advised.