[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6493409,"mediaKeyId","5587949-2c633863019982421d5c37b9b3f995e6","parentId",5587949,"title","Forensic services agency cites accreditation, staffing shortages and federal grant uncertainty","audioSeconds",690,"startMs",6778000,"endMs",7468000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5587949-2c633863019982421d5c37b9b3f995e6&start=6778&end=7468","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5587949-2c633863019982421d5c37b9b3f995e6/thumbnail_6778000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6493409/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/Forensic-services-agency-cites-accreditation-staffing-shortages-and-federal-grant-uncertainty","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493409-861a2f532e82792f60d01a7fd74e59c9/orig.mp4?Expires=1773615221&Signature=boqK4j91lfUD2wSdCHYKSxSof48kVxzNPmyNrE571CU-O6zuJpMR6hYYnaLwfNVPFNt64~e1oquJ922IP35th3t7JNrl2cWg6dltum1QnvPZVLugHUkfcNid0ihp1yOfynO-GTGPw~sd8~EP5i7XZUx-xUeYwZRfihV1Hz4I0XEAXEGwjX~AITMtfT~Qt9~ZJg5yY4ShrRzIaSdEO~SvzQX4ioHhlraMBWGQLegECAUnhCIzMA3k~5LP~IbsXZk5BH42AcXmofwH-juF2lRKor6e8bPvXVu4pwBGrxW9HOBedAEMBvOaIQHj3hpS4uVBlzU6i7WEPyJSdzVt8PWdNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Indianapolis, IN","date","2025-08-13T00:00:00Z","article","The Indianapolis–Marion County Forensic Service Agency told the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee on Aug. 13 that it completed reaccreditation with zero findings, won a Project Foresight Maximus Award and is pursuing backlog reductions while facing federal grant uncertainty that could affect staffing and supplies in 2026.

Director Richard Amberger and Chief Operating Officer Kyle Swalls said the agency processed nearly 12,000 requests and analyzed more than 62,000 evidence items last year, moved operations into a new consolidated facility and maintained ANAB accreditation. Amberger said the agency received a national efficiency recognition: “Out of 220 forensic laboratories, we were one of 14 to receive the Project Foresight Maximus Award,” and staff emphasized the zero‑finding reaccreditation.

Staffing and vacancies remain a constraint: the agency has 75 allocated positions and 71 filled as of Aug. 1, with four vacancies expected to be filled later in the year. The agency is using a combination of in‑house capacity and outsourcing (DNA outsourcing initiative) to reduce turnaround times and is engaged in blind proficiency testing with mentor support from the Houston Forensic Science Center.

Budget details show an agency total near $12.8 million for 2026 with only a modest net decrease from 2025. Swalls warned that roughly 20 percent of the agency budget depends on federal grants; if those grants are not awarded at expected levels the agency may need to eliminate federally funded staff and curtail supplies used for DNA testing and firearms work.

Councilors asked about backlog coordination with prosecutors and detectives, whether sexual assault kit testing backlogs exist and how the agency engages private providers. Amberger said backlog arises in part because agencies submit kits at different rates and that the lab only processes what police submit; he noted local coordination and use of outside DNA vendors in some jurisdictions. On residency rules affecting recruitment, agency leaders said lifting Marion County residency requirements would expand the candidate pool for hard‑to‑fill specialized positions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council of Indianapolis, IN - Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee","oneSentenceSummary","The Indianapolis–Marion County Forensic Service Agency reported successful reaccreditation and awards, ongoing backlog reduction efforts and reliance on federal grants for DNA and firearms work; leaders warned that uncertain federal funding could force cuts to federally funded positions and supplies.","taxTitle","Indianapolis City, Marion County, Indiana","taxId",3627,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6493412,"Marion County coroner cites data modernization, opioid-settlement family advocates and budget cuts",530,4475000,5005000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5587949-2c633863019982421d5c37b9b3f995e6&start=4475&end=5005","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5587949-2c633863019982421d5c37b9b3f995e6/thumbnail_4475000.jpg","/articles/6493412/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/Marion-County-coroner-cites-data-modernization-opioid-settlement-family-advocates-and-budget-cuts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493412-8ddecfc80fd3f974e3726a68cad417f5/orig.mp4?Expires=1773615221&Signature=h75G6HJh74RdxF-rjZA5ciIYd1yw4BzDsDvIt8LiHBTddKTZ02126ToSD8yvMd7bl2AFZYFHvNjdihp8DxwoFeQ1t1V2taG-cg8PS9xrbRMsUl13dmLAjUlU1IJSa9Zxy6h95uBSW4oBBxOIcC3If8ZF5BateoF~eCVnxyoSiJH3H1FVXTebiAsPOX17vKn5S4TyfL-tVSsRICvdcy5KKbbz88m7QK4Y7sywT5i4WWx9M~Q5T5ZbARgMYjm9~LdsnMGd6Zg2PjJ1RfvUPjj4hJe2MKX~PRpm4-UEIb3WEA5db9f02UChefd51LEGQdJYx2l~n~O7tcF6ENd-uvWzow__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Marion County Coroner Alfie McGinty presented his office’s 2026 budget priorities to the Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee on Aug. 13, describing recent upgrades to case management, continued family‑advocate services funded by the opioid settlement and a county general fund reduction that the coroner said will require careful planning.

McGinty highlighted a data‑modernization effort performed with the county’s ISA team that the office says has reduced manual data entry and improved turnaround times for death certificates. He described a family advocacy program — funded through opioid settlement and other grants — that places social workers and family advocates with bereaved families after overdose and homicide investigations.

The coroner told the committee the office anticipates an overall county‑general reduction of about $228,000 (roughly a 3 percent decrease) and said an uncontrolled operational reduction of roughly $428,000 (about 15 percent) would reduce funding for routine operational items. He said reductions in character 3 budget lines primarily affected funding for forensic pathologist services; if autopsy volume rises in 2026 the office would return to the council with a request for additional funds because state law requires qualified forensic pathologists to perform autopsies.

McGinty said the coroner’s office is beginning to charge other counties for pathology services in cases where the decedent died in Marion County hospitals but the incident occurred elsewhere, and that the office is more rigorously billing for records requests. He also described community prevention work such as distribution of gun locks and outreach aimed at reducing child gun fatalities and overdose deaths.

Councilors asked about trends and programs; McGinty pointed to recent declines in overdose deaths over two consecutive years and said the office will re-evaluate opioid-settlement funding in the fall. He described operational constraints tied to the availability of forensic pathologists and to fleet and equipment needs for death investigations.","Coroner Alfie McGinty told councilors the office has modernized case management, expanded family advocacy funded by opioid-settlement dollars, and faces a modest county budget cut with operational decreases that could affect forensic staffing if autopsy volume rises.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6493419,"Marion Circuit Court reports caseload growth for name‑and‑gender changes and outreach work",358,3354000,3712000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5587949-2c633863019982421d5c37b9b3f995e6&start=3354&end=3712","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5587949-2c633863019982421d5c37b9b3f995e6/thumbnail_3354000.jpg","/articles/6493419/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/Marion-Circuit-Court-reports-caseload-growth-for-nameandgender-changes-and-outreach-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493419-156432dfc025d3ceba87caa85d4ffecc/orig.mp4?Expires=1773615221&Signature=KbyPgYW2Sj8njGQ7lW2~VHOrEkMIaE4DPIOQF5oPbLKKiQqxdA7NAIN5ZrfHjLS3PszJJhK94wbbfsKVFLu9SKCX8ZwhXVYc~1a3A60u86~kRUkQu3pGICjpTTUPvJmSLKyuD2TXklR2CLOblHUrOawLahPwajpZ4gwASKPqW0lkwNnPFaVOMTlxWcS0VHQ3gEUFSyTYO9rkj9A-g0vSyUfhzza95U~0-fCPwlP~znV5u2p5fH1NdkyRJvMmMFZmo2EnX40yzND2vYri2mjL9QPDRV79bYT5OdCeYPSZh69f95a-tFEmMVNg09PCymDhCEFkNFcNGQU2OKVAe44zUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Judge Amber Collins told the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee on Aug. 13 that Marion Circuit Court’s docket has shifted and expanded in ways that have increased staff workload, particularly for self‑represented litigants seeking name and gender changes and Title IV‑D child support matters.

Collins said the court is the county’s constitutional circuit court and that the name/gender-correction docket has “exploded.” The presentation included counts showing that the court received far more of those petitions in 2024 and 2025 than in prior years, and Collins said the court absorbed the extra work with existing staff so far.

The circuit court’s Title IV‑D child support division is partially federally reimbursed; Collins told the committee the federal reimbursement to the county was about $108,000 last year. The court also funds a navigator at the Legal Help Center to assist self‑represented litigants and runs a youth outreach program that brings teens into a mock trial and court tour to demystify the justice system.

Budget totals in the presentation list a 2026 total budget of $1,307,135 with a modest net decrease from 2025 levels; personnel and building chargebacks drove most of the character‑level shifts Collins discussed. The judge said she may request an additional staff person if civil collection caseloads continue to rise, and she confirmed the court routinely waives filing fees for indigent filers or those qualifying on public assistance.

Collins fielded questions from councilors about fee waivers, case allocations between circuit and superior courts, and community outreach; she said the court will continue outreach and may expand youth programming.","Marion Circuit Court Judge Amber Collins presented a $1.307 million budget that absorbs a surge in self‑represented name and gender change petitions, describes Title IV‑D child support work and lists outreach programs for youth.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6493423,"Presiding judge outlines Superior Court budget, kiosks and Family & Youth Intervention Center grant",1328,332000,1660000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5587949-2c633863019982421d5c37b9b3f995e6&start=332&end=1660","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5587949-2c633863019982421d5c37b9b3f995e6/thumbnail_332000.jpg","/articles/6493423/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/Presiding-judge-outlines-Superior-Court-budget-kiosks-and-Family-Youth-Intervention-Center-grant","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493423-b8be458664803c622acdc7b4b132e4d5/orig.mp4?Expires=1773615221&Signature=K3qLBrZaiApdIpv6C4dycJ2z04HvYkATpiF~9y2daacaW-fj~tJf7d4mCmsqjDyV6TCkAKitqMqtdCcwX1ty6FCL0yMKVHrxLbGwnZVZEZrVKB3QfE~fA45CMAIfPnnwJ6eKa0IriIRKJYSLA8OLQ0-Vo8NOZjgCaI1tGI7LRM2exIDTGQR5V5YQY1-EJz-70-bRaW9xq63MA4akyOO~c~Es-Q5dpmI8RAvT6BeKh5T3ihH4cSQP6JJIpoeYZmA3NXQpkurN91KEbVODCQtg4rVE6CwLLEhWERMiytKqbp~W2CWyEPqxERWXNiJQAHEwF4lEQjzHXH~P60BZ5BS79g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Judge Marc Rothenberg, presiding judge of Marion Superior Court, presented the court’s 2026 budget and program updates to the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee on Aug. 13, emphasizing several court-run programs funded largely by grants rather than an increase in county general-fund requests.

Rothenberg described Superior Court’s structure — 36 judges, master commissioners and three divisions (civil, criminal and family) — and highlighted the new Family and Youth Intervention (FYI) Center at 20th and Keystone. He said the largest grant increase in the court’s budget was for the FYI Center: “That increase of $1,663,000 was for the Family Youth and Innovation Center,” he told the committee. He and other presenters said most “increases” in the budget are grant-related and do not reflect higher requests from the county general fund.

The court reported operational programs that reduce court traffic: a Legal Resource Center with navigators that have recorded about 34,000 visits since June 2022, a kiosk system that allows probationers to report without traveling downtown, and the community service work program (roughly 3,500 hours reported last year with an estimated local benefit of about $25,000). Chief Kroll, probation department head, told the committee the kiosk program is costly to expand and described the per-kiosk cost: “My goal is if I can come up with about $14,000 a year, I can put 1 everywhere. It's a matter of about $1,575 starting next year per kiosk per month,” she said.

Councilors pressed the court on several policy points during the Q&A: consolidation of eviction dockets in Superior Court 33 (the judge said eviction cases previously spread across civil court were centralized under one judge for consistency), reductions in grant funding that have cut problem-solving court resources by roughly 13 percent, and the court’s practice of indigency hearings for assessment of fees. Rothenberg described the legal process for fee assessment and said that public defender fees may be assessed from bond funds while other court costs require an indigency determination at the time of assessment; he referenced Spells v. State in that explanation.

Budget presentation details show a net increase described as largely grant-driven (an overall increase of about $698,000 driven by grant funds), while the court said its request to the county remains effectively flat. The Superior Court team offered to provide a program-level grant breakdown to the committee and encouraged councilors to visit the FYI Center.

No formal committee vote on the budget was recorded at the meeting; presenters said they would provide follow-up materials on grant breakdowns and program details.","Judge Marc Rothenberg presented the Marion Superior Court budget to the Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee, highlighted programs including the Family and Youth Intervention (FYI) Center, kiosk probation-reporting locations and community service work, and described grant pressures affecting problem-solving courts.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6493428,"Council committee accepts Marion County Sheriff's commissary fund report",190,118000,308000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5587949-2c633863019982421d5c37b9b3f995e6&start=118&end=308","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5587949-2c633863019982421d5c37b9b3f995e6/thumbnail_118000.jpg","/articles/6493428/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/Council-committee-accepts-Marion-County-Sheriffs-commissary-fund-report","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493428-d06920ddbaf521f49559979658d32c8e/orig.mp4?Expires=1773615221&Signature=Q~rtgwnFhmj2vxn~zG23BDjpTlRdGjErNJxZLsCraW9swu1OtgbGSyHOunj0tdu4h9TcK0HJ2smRK6scf0ZETeGdPrvmsmgkeNouhpVEllfokDE6qzMOz0zeveGmmqCpe844tqKvbA0NjLM33lXpSJcR7~5y5Ds7MX3FVMx-itPAEOrCqhoJUMfVW5wJDDMqYyIyRYeokp0nEzfqrvhgL2sts54lbYl2M23qWdSITtBIZySz850KaMjxYUBql2iKDt4e0w0fvMc~Tyffvq4cB8qE55OKcvu3hwxzOocviZhLaqunS-L0jYvSrg0VmZ1smx252khuziO26BHQZ2m-aA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee of the Indianapolis City-County Council on Aug. 13 accepted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office commissary fund report covering Jan. 1, 2025, to July 1, 2025, a packet the deputy representing the sheriff said was submitted under changed state reporting rules.

Deputy Chief Williams, speaking on behalf of Sheriff Carrie Forstall, told the committee, “This new statute changes the frequency of the commissary report filings from semi annually to quarterly effective 07/01/2025,” and that the report and attachments were in the councillors’ meeting packet.

The committee briefly questioned the report’s recurring disbursements. Councilor Michael Paul Hart asked about a monthly $1,500 charge listed as a rental to “Gasoline Alley LLC.” Deputy Chief Williams responded that the cost pays for garage space used to store the sheriff’s office Polaris vehicles, ATVs, bicycles and motorcycles.

Chair Leroy Robinson said the item did not require a formal vote; the committee recorded acceptance of the report. No additional actions, conditions or follow-up assignments were recorded during the meeting.

The acceptance closes the committee’s review of the submitted commissary report for the stated period; the sheriff’s office letter identifying the change in reporting frequency was included with the packet.","The Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee received and accepted the Marion County Sheriff's Office commissary fund report, presented as a quarterly filing required under state and local rules. Councilors asked for clarification on recurring charges in the report.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Forensic services agency cites accreditation, staffing shortages and federal grant uncertainty

Marion County coroner cites data modernization, opioid-settlement family advocates and budget cuts

Marion Circuit Court reports caseload growth for name‑and‑gender changes and outreach work

Presiding judge outlines Superior Court budget, kiosks and Family & Youth Intervention Center grant

Council committee accepts Marion County Sheriff's commissary fund report