Program Profile: Indianapolis (Ind.) Violence Reduction Partnership (IVRP)

This is a policing program that targeted high-risk persons who chronically commit offenses to reduce gun violence in Indianapolis, Ind. The program is rated Promising. There was a statistically significant reduction in the number of average monthly homicides and gang-related homicides in Indianapolis, in the 2 years following the implementation of the program.

A Promising rating implies that implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s).

Program Goals/Target Population

The Indianapolis (Ind.) Violence Reduction Partnership (IVRP) was created in response to high levels of gun-related homicides in Indianapolis during the 1990s. It was a replication of the “Project Ceasefire” initiative by the Boston (Mass.) Police Department, which simultaneously held meetings with gang members to communicate a message of deterrence and launched a gang crackdown. Inspired by the success of the Boston initiative, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department created its own version of the program in 1998. The program used a specialized approach to reduce gun-related violence among those most at risk for offending, mainly gang-involved chronic offenders who used illegal firearms.

Program Components/Key Personnel

The program was comprised of three stages: identification, implementation, and outreach.

Identification. During this identification stage, research was conducted to find out details about the homicide problem in Indianapolis, including identification of key persons and patterns of offending.

Implementation. During this stage, “pulling lever” meetings were held with those on probationer or parole. In these meetings, a message of deterrence was communicated, along with the consequences of violating the law. These persons were encouraged to take advantage of community services, such as mentoring, employment, housing, education, and vocational training. These meetings spread the message that violence will not be tolerated and that there are opportunities for these individuals to turn their lives around. The meetings were accompanied by crackdowns of local gangs to illustrate the message of deterrence and zero tolerance for violence.

Outreach. This stage depended upon the participation of community partners. Meetings were held to come up with ideas to supplement the program, and neighborhood leaders, social service providers, and ex-offender mentors were recruited to participate.

Throughout all stages of the program, collaboration with community partners, criminal justice agencies, and research associates was necessary to tailor a specialized solution to the problem of gun violence in Indianapolis.

Program Theory

The idea behind the Indianapolis Violence Reduction Partnership was based on the “pulling levers” deterrence strategy. Through this strategy, research on patterns of crime in the community is used to create a tailored intervention to tackle a specific problematic criminal activity. In Indianapolis, the pulling levers approach was used to combat the issue of gun homicide among those who chronically commit offenses. Research was used to identify chronic those most at risk for committing violence, and these persons were called in for pulling lever meetings. During these meetings, the message was made clear was that if violence was committed, the appropriate sanctions, or “levers,” would be applied, or “pulled.”

Study 1

McGarrell, Chermak, Wilson, and Corsaro (2006) analyzed the impact of the Indianapolis (Ind.) Violence Reduction Partnership (IVRP) using an interrupted time series quasi-experiment to examine homicide trends in Indianapolis. They used six Midwestern cities as comparison groups: Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky., and Pittsburgh, Pa. Information for these cities was obtained using the Supplementary Victim-Level Homicide Database. These cities were chosen based on their similarities to Indianapolis in homicide and population rates, as well as their proximity to Indianapolis.

Homicide data was studied from Jan. 1, 1997, to June 30, 2001, with the intervention period occurring in April 1999. The postintervention period was May 1999 to June 2001. McGarrell and colleagues used time-series analyses to compare monthly homicide trends during these periods for Indianapolis and the six comparison cities. Preintervention monthly homicide means were compared to postintervention means to determine the effect of the IVRP intervention on homicide trends. No subgroup analyses were conducted.

Study 2

Corsaro and McGarrell (2009) disaggregated monthly homicides into gang- and non–gang-related homicides. Since the intervention was targeted at gang-affiliated chronic offenders, the researchers believed that the impact of IVRP should be stronger for gang-related violence. Otherwise, the decline in homicide rates could be attributed to external forces.

The data for this study was obtained from information on offenders from the pulling-lever meetings. During the meetings, researchers took detailed notes about homicide incidents and which suspects were involved in gangs. These incident review findings revealed patterns of violence in Indianapolis not available from official data sources, and they showed a high degree of gang-related offenses.

An interrupted time-series analysis was used to differentiate the impact of the IVRP intervention on gang versus non-gang-related homicides. Monthly events of homicides were coded as gang-related or non-gang-related, based on information from researchers and police files. If at least one victim or suspect was shown to be affiliated with a gang, the homicide was coded as gang-related. They compared percentage changes across homicide types between pre- and postintervention periods to analyze the differential effects of the intervention. Monthly homicide trends were assessed between January 1997 and June 2001, with April 1999 as the intervention date. No subgroup analyses were conducted.

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:

Focused Deterrence Strategies

This practice (also referred to as “pulling-levers policing”) includes problem-oriented policing strategies that follow the core principles of deterrence theory. The strategies target specific criminal behavior committed by a small number of individuals who chronically commit offenses, such as youth gang members or those who repeatedly commit violent offenses, who are vulnerable to sanctions and punishment. The practice is rated Promising for reducing crime.

Evidence Ratings for Outcomes

Crime & Delinquency - Multiple crime/offense types

Reducing Gun Violence

Reducing gun violence is a persistent public policy concern for communities, policymakers and leaders. To reduce gun violence, several strategies have been deployed including public health approaches (e.g., training and safe gun storage); gun buy-back programs; gun laws; and law enforcement strategies. The practice is rated Promising for reducing violent gun offenses.

Evidence Ratings for Outcomes

Crime & Delinquency - Violent offenses

Why might a practice's outcome ratings differ from the ratings of specific programs encompassed by that practice?