An internal audit of the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety published earlier this month has uncovered potential conflicts of interest, a lack of internal controls and “an immediate need” for agency-wide training.
The office, created by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett in 2016 to address the root causes of violent crime, has seen its budget grow 75% from about $19.3 million in 2020 to nearly $33.8 million in 2025. Auditors reviewed its operations over the last five years in response both to that rapid growth and “requests for examination” from the City-County Council and OPHS’ own leadership, according to the report’s executive summary.
They identified an urgent need to fix shortcomings that are “largely due to issues of nonexistent or developing policies and procedures, staff turnover, and lack of training for key operational functions.”
For instance, OPHS contracts with vendors to offer programs ranging from offender re-entry services to free summer programs for underserved kids. The audit found that several contracts were awarded to vendors with “significant connections” to OPHS employees, and one contract went to a vendor who worked for OPHS during the contract period.
Auditors also found that just over half of OPHS’s contracts lacked documentation of compliance monitoring and 84% had problems with invoices.
“Overall, the findings reveal an immediate need for training and education in the oversight, administration, and execution of programming and third-party contracting,” Indianapolis’ Office of Audit and Performance concluded in the report released on April 9.
In a joint statement with the mayor’s office, OPHS spokesperson Brian Heinemann said the Hogsett administration initiated the audit to ensure proper oversight and accountability. In response to the findings, the agency is establishing clear standard operating procedures for contracts and programs, building public-facing data dashboards, and implementing annual procurement training for OPHS staff. All city staff are also required to take yearly ethics training.
“OPHS’s mission — to address root causes of crime and reduce violence in Indianapolis neighborhoods — remains central to the priorities of this administration,” the April 28 statement says. “The Mayor’s Office will remain closely engaged as OPHS continues strengthening its operations and building on its critical work for the Indianapolis community.”
Regarding the potential conflicts of interests, OPHS responded in the report that the contracts were granted to “adult, non-dependent children,” not considered “immediate family members” under city code. Employees also did not have any financial interest in contracts, the agency said. The report did not specifically name the contracts in question.
The agency in its response agreed “this finding poses serious risk to the City and requires immediate course correction,” and will work with the Office of Corporation Counsel, the city’s legal office, to establish supplemental ethics training for OPHS staff.
Auditors did, however, describe a perceived conflict of interest related to a $75,000 grant the agency awarded in November 2024 to a local private school for a summer program for underserved youth.
The grant term commenced under then-director Martine Romy Bernard-Tucker, who left her OPHS role in December 2024 and now sits on a leadership board for the recipient’s partner organization that operates the camp, according to the report.
Bernard-Tucker did not immediately respond to an IndyStar phone call seeking comment.
The agency has also struggled with “frequent staff turnover” over the past several years, the audit found.
The City-County Council rejected former Deputy Mayor Lena Hill for the OPHS director role in early 2025 after the agency’s previous leader cited Hill as part of the reason she stepped down, according to reporting by Mirror Indy.
The council approved Hogsett appointee Andrew Merkley to lead the agency in May 2025.
Auditors say OPHS lacked methods to track success
Councilors from both parties have said the city must do a better job of tracking whether city funding is leading to positive outcomes. The audit found that OPHS “lacked formal procedures to monitor and evaluate program effectiveness.”
“This is a department that deals with homelessness, food, violence reduction, all these major initiatives that are extremely important to the well-being of citizens, and there’s absolutely zero accountability on those dollars,” Republican City-County Councilor Michael-Paul Hart, a frequent critic of how OPHS tracks outcomes, told IndyStar April 28.
In an April 27 newsletter, the Marion County GOP called on city government to freeze further funding for OPHS “until the agency can demonstrate real accountability and responsible use of taxpayer dollars.” While Hart hesitated to go that far, he said the OPHS budget shouldn’t keep rising without evidence of change.
The Hogsett administration says the internal audit signals accountability and corrective action. The mayor’s office also stands behind the results delivered by OPHS initiatives, saying the office has played a key role in reducing criminal homicides by more than 60% since 2021 and providing emergency shelter to more than 1,100 who lack stable housing this past winter. OPHS also facilitated food assistance for thousands of families when SNAP benefits were paused last fall.
“Indianapolis residents deserve accountability and action,” the city’s statement says, “and that is exactly what Mayor Hogsett and the Office of Public Health and Safety are delivering.”
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@indystar.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Audit finds ‘immediate need’ to fix Indy’s health and safety office
Reporting by Ryan Murphy and Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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