INDIANAPOLIS | A new investigation into arrests by Eskenazi Health's hospital police force is renewing questions about whether Indianapolis' public hospital has become an entry point into the criminal-justice system for people experiencing homelessness, mental illness and crisis.
WFYI, publishing reporting from Mirror Indy, described the case of Adilah Patton, a woman diagnosed with schizophrenia who went to Eskenazi for help and was later arrested for trespassing after spending the night in the waiting room. The reporting found that from 2020 to 2025, Eskenazi officers made more than 800 arrests, with records showing many were tied to nonviolent misdemeanor allegations such as trespass, disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement.
The article raises a public-policy question that extends beyond one hospital: when a person in crisis seeks shelter, treatment or safety at a public medical campus, what should happen before police are called? Eskenazi leaders told Mirror Indy that security is necessary to protect staff and patients and that arrest is a last resort. The Marion County Sheriff's Office, however, ended a special-deputy arrangement with Eskenazi after Sheriff Kerry Forestal expressed concern about law-enforcement involvement in health-care settings.
The scale of the force is part of the scrutiny. Mirror Indy reported that Eskenazi had 98 officers under the Sheriff's Office partnership and later formed its own independent police department through its parent organization. The reporting also noted a projected security budget of $9.6 million and said Eskenazi officials did not track what happened to people after they were arrested, including whether cases were charged, resolved or dismissed.
The public-hospital role makes the issue especially sensitive. Eskenazi's mission includes serving vulnerable Marion County residents, and Health & Hospital Corporation is a public entity with a community-health mandate. A hospital also has legitimate safety obligations. The unresolved question is whether the current system is calibrated toward de-escalation and treatment or toward removal and jail.
CGN News sought comment from Eskenazi Health and the Health & Hospital Corporation of Indianapolis on the findings, the use of hospital police, the handling of people in mental-health crisis, and whether internal review is underway. Eskenazi Health and the Health & Hospital Corporation of Indianapolis did not respond to a request for comment from CGN News.
The next accountability points are records, not rhetoric. City officials, hospital trustees, prosecutors and the Sheriff's Office can clarify how often hospital arrests led to charges, whether alternatives were available, and how public money is being used in security decisions affecting vulnerable patients and visitors.
Additional Reporting By: WFYI; Mirror Indy; Eskenazi Health; Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County; CGN News Indianapolis Bureau.