Mayor Joe Hogsett has tapped a longtime member of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to be the city’s next police chief.
Tanya Terry, who has served with the department for 27 years, is the first woman ever to lead the agency.
In announcing the appointment, Hogsett pointed to a decrease in criminal homicides under Terry’s leadership as both a district commander and deputy chief.
“Crime is down across the board. Criminal homicides are at an eight-year low,” Hogsett said in a Jan. 28 statement. “With Chief Terry leading our IMPD officers, I am confident Indianapolis will continue making progress in shaping safer neighborhoods.”
Terry is credited with leading a juvenile diversion program in IMPD’s Southwest District. The program, a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis, aims to direct youth offenders to community resources as an alternative to arrest. As deputy chief, Terry expanded the program citywide.
“No officer takes joy in putting handcuffs on kids,” Terry said in a May interview with Fox 59. “That’s what we want to avoid.”
Rick Snyder, the head of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police, said Terry is “highly respected across the board” by rank and file officers.
“She has a career built on solid street police work, superb investigative skills, a focus on holding violent offenders accountable, and is well recognized for her leadership and character,” Snyder said in a statement.
Terry replaces Chris Bailey, who relinquished the role after Hogsett named him his chief of staff.
An Indy native, Terry attended Warren Central High School and studied psychology and sociology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Terry and her wife, IMPD Capt. Lindsey Terry, have two teenage children.
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Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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