Indianapolis police chief Roach to retire after accepting new job

Bryan Roach, chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department since January 2017, plans to retire at the end of the year, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced Friday morning.

Roach, a 28-year veteran at IMPD, said in a statement that he had accepted an undisclosed job outside of the department and city government.

Hogsett didn’t say who would replace Roach. The city said further announcements would be made in “coming weeks” after the mayor “meets with IMPD executive staff and community stakeholders.”

Roach started at IMPD in 1991 as a patrol officer in the North District and worked his way up through every rank.

“Chief Roach has proven to be a deliberate and dedicated leader throughout his nearly three decades with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, driven to make our city safer for all residents by working collaboratively, addressing the root causes of crime and leading his officers through a return to a community-focused policing model,” Hogsett said in written comments. “I want to thank Bryan for his steadfast service to the people of Indianapolis, and wish him incredible happiness in his retirement.”

Roach served as a narcotics detective, sergeant and supervisor of the North District Neighborhood Resource Unit. In 2005 he was promoted to lieutenant, then to major in 2006. In 2008, he received the merit rank of captain.

Before being named chief, Roach was named assistant chief of administration and served on Hogsett’s Criminal Justice Reform Task Force, which worked to identify opportunities for systemic change in the criminal justice system.

“After almost 29 years of service to the city that I love, today is bittersweet as I announce my retirement from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department,” Roach said in a written statement. “The start of the new year will begin a new chapter for my family, as I have accepted a job outside of the police department and city government.

“I am grateful and humbled to have led this organization and its members. IMPD has some of the best and brightest men and women working across both the civilian and sworn ranks. The care, concern, and kindness they show daily for the citizens of Indianapolis, both publicly and privately, have been and will continue to be an inspiration to me.”