Public Safety Walks at Lake Castleton Apartments July 2023 Indianapolis, Indiana.

Abstract

BACKGROUND Public safety walks are one of many available strategies used to reduce gun violence. Walks are a standalone approach or they are included as a part of broader justice and community-based interventions OBJECTIVE Examine media reported gun violence trends at Lake Castleton Apartments and within a one-block radius of the complex before, during, and after public safety walks. Public safety walks started October 2021 and then stopped April 2023 near the apartment complex. These start and stop dates create periods to explore gun violence patterns. KEY FINDINGS Between January 2020 and June 2023, the media reported nine shootings involving 10 victims within a one-block radius of the apartment complex. There were no statistically dependable differences in total media reported shooting incidents after public safety walks began. Fatal shooting and total shooting incidents trended downward, while there was an uptick in non-fatal shooting incidents after walks began. The media reported patterns observed before and during public safety walks at the apartment complex mirror citywide trends. Meaning, the rates of change found at the apartment complex are no more or less different from those expected from citywide changes over time. To date, there are only three months of records available since public safety walks stopped at the apartment complex. Comparing April, May, and June media reports between 2020 and 2023, shooting incidents trended upward after walks stopped. At first glance, the rate of change at the apartment complex is greater than citywide patterns. However, once we account for pre-existing differences between Lake Castleton and citywide shooting incidents, the rate of increase found at the apartment complex is similar to the citywide increases during the same period.