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Law enforcement agencies, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and the Marion County Public Defender Agency will each receive a funding boost in 2024 after the City-County Council passed Mayor Joe Hogsett’s 2024 budget earlier this week.
The $1.6 billion budget allocates $39.6 million to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and $33.1 million to the Marion County Public Defender Agency, while the Marion County Sheriff’s Office received nearly $130 million and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department received $323.9 million — the largest IMPD budget in history.
“I want to thank President Osili, Vice President Adamson, Leaders Lewis and Mowery, and all councilors for their significant collaboration and support of our spending priorities,” Hogsett, a Democrat seeking reelection next month, said in a news release. “The passage of this budget is a major victory for Indianapolis residents, as we invest unprecedented resources towards law enforcement and public safety, reinforce our commitment to community-based violence reduction, transform infrastructure at the large-scale and community level, and improve neighborhoods throughout our city.”
The 2024 budget marks an 8.8% funding increase for the prosecutor’s office, a 13.3% increase for the public defender agency, a 12.7% increase for the sheriff’s office and a 3.4% increase for IMPD. The additional appropriations are part of a public-safety focus in Marion County, which also includes the creation of a partnership on gun crimes between the Office of Corporation Counsel and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
The IMPD budget, in particular, features an increase in first-year salaries to about $72,000 and a 3% raise for veteran officers, according to a press release from Hogsett’s office. Funding will also go toward technology and equipment including dashcams, drones, and the expansion of license plate readers and public safety cameras.
“Thankful for this investment in our officers, crime-fighting technology and our continued commitment to public safety. Indy, only by working together can we make our city the best it can be,” IMPD posted on X.
As for the county’s court system, the Marion Superior Court received a 2024 allocation of $69.2 million, compared to $69.3 million in 2023. The allocation for jury pay rose from $75,000 to $150,000 following the passage earlier this year of a statewide bill increasing juror pay and defendants’ jury fees. But the Superior Court saw a decrease in both federal and state grant funding.
The Marion Circuit Court’s allocation also dropped — $1.3 million in 2024 compared to $1.5 million in 2023.
The 2024 budget is the first since 2019 that does not include significant federal COVID-19 funding, according to the Mayor’s Office.
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