INDIANAPOLIS — Reducing domestic violence is a top priority for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in 2023. 

Those efforts began last week with a citywide warrant sweep dubbed Operation Domestic Disruption.

The five-day sweep resulted in the arrests of 16 suspects with active warrants who police say were the highest risk to reoffend.

In one case police arrested a convicted domestic abuser who was also wanted in connection with a homicide.

“The goal of this operation was to identify the most violent open warrants and get those warrants served,” said IMPD Lt. Seth Ferrell.

Just days before being handcuffed and taken into custody, Thomas Majors Jr. allegedly assaulted his girlfriend.

Court records show Majors was also wanted on an active warrant for attempted murder. Police claim Majors shot his best friend in June 2022 inside a home on North Gladstone.

The victim died from his injuries in September.

“It does a great justice to our community to know those dangerous people are off our streets,” said Danyette Smith with Indy Champions.

The city’s director of domestic violence prevention praised the warrant sweep because domestic violence cases have risen dramatically in Indianapolis since 2020.

“Prior to the pandemic we were around we were around 4,600 cases a year. We peaked in 2021 with 6,000 cases a year,” said Ferrell.

Lt. Ferrell says IMPD identified 45 high-risk suspects and then narrowed that list to 20 who were assigned for apprehension.

From Jan. 9 to Jan. 13, 16 of those offenders were taken into custody. Police are still searching for the other four.

The department prioritized offenders with prior convictions and violent histories, like Roderick Calhoun, who police believe pistol-whipped and shot at a woman on New Year’s Day before being arrested last week.

“We know through research that’s been done, that recidivism for domestic violence is around 60 percent. So a good majority of domestic violence offenders will reoffend,” said Ferrell.

In addition to the handful of arrests made this month, police insist victim’s assistance remains critical to reducing domestic violence long term.

“We want victims and survivors to know there are resources out here,” said Smith.

“I think awareness in our county is very important. Letting people know that even if they don’t want to make a report, there are other resources out there,” said Ferrell.

Education is important because last month IMPD reported there were 664 warrants for domestic violence and another 218 for strangulation.

Thomas Majors remains behind bars at the Marion County Jail on a $100,000 bond on numerous counts, although a murder charge has not yet been filed.