Indiana Crime Guns Task Force reports huge spike in machine gun conversion devices being seized

INDIANAPOLIS — Breaking the cycle of violence by targeting illegally possessed guns, drugs and repeat violent offenders is the goal of the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force.

This week, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department highlighted how that task force has seen a dramatic increase in machine gun conversion devices being seized this year.

Just nine months into the year, the task force has seized more than nine times as many machine gun conversion devices when compared to all of last year.

The danger of those devices was illustrated by a shooting captured on video last month after a barrage of gunfire was unleashed into a crowd using two handguns equipped with machine gun conversion devices. The shooting near 56th Street and Georgetown Road left three people wounded and endangered dozens of others.

“They can empty an entire magazine of 30, 40 or 50 rounds in three to five seconds,” said IMPD Lt. Jered Hidlebaugh. “Those bullets don’t have a name attached to them. They have no idea where they’re going. It’s hard to control a machine gun.”

That’s why Lt. Hidlebaugh said the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force has worked hard to seize 184 machine gun conversion devices this year, compared to 20 all of last year.

“We’re excited we got that many off the street so far this year,” he said. “We hope to take more off the street and continue our goal of pulling them out of the hands of violent criminals.”

In addition to machine gun conversion devices, the task force has seized 303 guns in nine months this year, more than the nearly 270 firearms recovered by the task force all of last year.

The number of suspects arrested is also already higher than 2024’s year-end total, and the task force has seized more than 10,000 grams of meth and fentanyl combined this year.

By targeting repeat violent offenders, IMPD believes the task force has helped reduce violent crime across Indianapolis by more than 20% compared to last year.

“The big picture goal for us is always to save lives and keep the city safe,” said Hidlebaugh. “Our goal is to continue to bring violence down in the city.”

Because violent crime isn’t confined to Indianapolis, the task force includes officers from Avon, Beech Grove, Fishers, Lawrence, Zionsville, the Indiana State Police and more.