Law enforcement officers and first responders play a vital role in building a safer, stronger and more prosperous Indiana.
These brave public servants have been under relentless attack — physically and mentally — by radical activists and D.C. career politicians, dropping recruitment and retention to dangerous levels. Moreover, as select prosecutors and judges fail to equally apply justice across the state, law enforcement officers are seeing the very violent and repeat offenders they arrest let back onto the street, sometimes on the same day.
That is why I am proposing the Protect and Serve plan, which will provide substantial support to our first responders and ensure equal justice is applied regardless of where one lives.
Judicial discretion in the application of bail has led to instances of violent and repeat offenders receiving low or no-cost bail, letting them back on our streets and in our neighborhoods putting Hoosiers at risk.
To prevent this, and ensure uniformity in the application of bail, I will lead the effort to create mandatory minimum levels of required bail to be applied in Indiana’s court system. This new standard would be calculated based on a complete analysis of all crimes the offender is charged with and would serve as the minimum bail a judge may set.
Mandatory minimum bail will be a vital step in stopping the revolving door of crime and reduce instances of offenders out on low or no-cost bail from committing additional crimes while they are waiting to be put before a judge.
While radical activists and D.C. career politicians call for the end of qualified immunity for our law enforcement and first responders, I will lead the charge and work with the state legislature to enhance and strengthen qualified immunity by codifying it into state law.
No police officer, firefighter or EMS personnel should ever wrongfully face criminal liability for their good faith actions in the line of duty.
Every death due to the fentanyl epidemic is one too many. Last year alone, 2,250 Hoosiers died from drug poisoning or overdose, 71 percent of which can be attributed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
To help put an end to this epidemic, as governor, I will pursue the creation of regional, multi-disciplinary task forces that cross jurisdictional lines to act as a force multiplier in the fight to tackle this epidemic. These task forces will be permitted to investigate deaths attributable to synthetic opioids as homicides, enabling them to target fentanyl dealers and traffickers more efficiently and effectively.
I will also fight to secure funding to supplement ongoing local efforts battling this epidemic, including the purchase of specialized equipment, personnel and prosecutorial support to charge and prosecute these crimes.
Across Indiana, departments are struggling to attract and retain first responders, leaving them short-staffed and those on the job overworked. The state can and should play a role in helping to reverse this trend.
That’s why, as governor, I will work with the state secretary of education and colleges and universities across the state to create high school and college level programs to provide expedited pathways to becoming a first responder.
Additionally, the state will run an out-of-state recruitment effort and work with the appropriate organizations to streamline the process so first responders from other states can easily step into new departments and agencies.
Although the state legislature has made progress on this front with the passage of HEA 1006 (2023), there remains work to be done to ensure there is adequate availability of behavioral health centers to take offenders experiencing mental health problems to.
As governor, I will work with the state legislature to build and fund additional behavioral health centers so that offenders can receive the appropriate care and be placed on a path of recovery to prevent future offense.
Furthermore, I will work with the state legislature to give our first responders the full backing of the law to make the decision to commit offenders in crisis to a behavioral health center.
Indiana has made great strides in ensuring our first responders have the training and resources necessary to do their jobs safely, efficiently and effectively. As governor, I will look to continue this progress and partner with our state legislature to identify training gaps local departments are still experiencing that the state can help address, especially in regard to the fentanyl epidemic and handling exposure to the drug.
I will also work with the appropriate agencies and organizations to develop additional training curriculum that specifically prepares our first responders to address instances of mental health problems.
In addition to ensuring our law enforcement officers have the necessary training and resources, it's imperative that they have the ability to solve crimes quicker and keep our streets and neighborhoods safe.
As governor, I will invest in new investigative technologies such as rapid DNA, increase crime lab capabilities and expand the state's crime gun intelligence center.
Current law does not allow licensed childcare facilities to apply for the Indiana Secured Grant program, which provides state matching grant funds schools can utilize for student safety initiatives, including school resource officers.
As governor, I will propose making these facilities eligible to receive such funds so that they can use their limited resources on recruiting staff and procuring the necessary materials to educate and protect our state’s youngest.
My Protect and Serve plan will ensure our law enforcement officers and first responders have the resources and support they need to not just do their jobs but also thrive as our friends and neighbors.