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Gov. Mike Braun on Tuesday touted what his administration called major public safety gains in its first year, pointing to large drug seizures, stepped-up traffic enforcement and a sharp decline in overdose deaths as evidence that Indiana is “safer” under his watch.
In a news release, Braun credited the Indiana State Police with disrupting drug trafficking networks operating in and around the state and removing impaired drivers from Hoosier roads.
The governor said those outcomes are the clearest way he judges whether his administration’s public safety strategy is working.
“You look at statistics — overdose deaths, what we’re taking off the streets — that’s how you measure it,” Braun said in a sit-down interview with the Indiana Capital Chronicle on Monday. “Hopefully, you see big improvements at first, and then over time, you see it trend down and compare favorably to other states.”
‘Safer’ Indiana roads
Public safety was a central theme of Braun’s campaign and transition agenda, which emphasized tougher enforcement against violent crime and drug trafficking, stronger penalties for repeat offenders and closer coordination between state and local law enforcement agencies.
The plan specifically singled out methamphetamine and fentanyl as major drivers of crime and overdose deaths in Indiana and posited that drug trafficking networks exploit gaps in border enforcement.
“When you look at the consequences of open borders, many of us think every state, every county, every town pays the consequences of it,” Braun said.
“There was such an infrastructure built up with cartels basically having easy ways to enter, and that’s been disrupted” by federal efforts, he added, but every state “still has to do its own part.”
Since taking office, Braun has also highlighted traffic safety as a key component of that approach. The governor’s office said Tuesday that operating while intoxicated arrests increased 17% in 2025 — from 3,406 the year before to 3,985. Braun attributed the increase to ISP’s intensified enforcement efforts aimed at impaired driving.
Those arrests coincided with a decline in fatal crashes statewide. Indiana saw 737 fatal crashes in 2025, down from 804 the previous year, according to the governor’s office. Braun’s administration said the 8.3% decrease is the result of greater traffic enforcement by state police and local law enforcement.
Late last year, for example, the state police rolled out a new fleet of patrol vehicles as part of a broader push to modernize the agency’s roadway enforcement tools and increase visibility on Indiana’s highways.
ISP leadership said the updated fleet — which includes a handful of high-performance Ford Mustang GTs — is intended to help troopers more effectively deter reckless driving, aggressive behavior and street racing.
“We’re paying more attention to it,” Braun said of impaired driving enforcement. “That OWI number went up because we’re ferreting it out. We’re finding it. If it increased by 17%, that tells you there were way too many people still out there driving while intoxicated.”
State police up drug seizures
ISP interdiction teams additionally seized hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs in 2025, according to the governor’s office, including nearly 1,100 pounds of cocaine found in a U-Haul truck and more than 70 pounds of heroin recovered from a semi-truck.
State police also confiscated roughly 70,000 THC vape cartridges, which officials said were unregulated products intended for illegal distribution.
Altogether, ISP reported seizing 630 kilograms of cocaine and 38 kilograms of opioids last year, which Braun’s administration described as a significant blow to cartel supply lines feeding Indiana communities.
The release said ISP detectives relied on advanced investigative tools, including wiretaps, to dismantle drug rings operating in small and midsize Hoosier communities, targeting “not only couriers, but the suppliers directing distribution into the state.”
As a result, opioid seizures increased by 117% in 2025, according to the governor’s office.
State officials further pointed to a reported 60% drop in overdose deaths statewide as the most consequential outcome of those efforts.
“Overdose deaths — that’s one of the biggest indicators,” Braun said. “A lot of what was coming across the border illicitly is not anymore, and when you’re taking millions of dollars of drugs off the street, that’s how you start to see those numbers change.”
And Braun’s team said drug interdiction efforts have continued into 2026.
Over the weekend, ISP seized 140 kilograms of cocaine during a traffic stop — an estimated $7 million street value, according to the governor’s office.
Braun championed several public safety-related measures during the 2025 legislative session, including policies that increase penalty levels for crimes involving fentanyl and provided additional tools for prosecuting impaired driving and drug-related crimes.
Lawmakers returned to the Statehouse on Monday for the 2026 short session, which is scheduled to conclude by the end of February. Neither the House nor Senate Republican supermajority caucuses have released their priority agendas yet.
Braun isn’t expected to release his newest legislative priorities until next week. He admitted that state lawmakers “might already be worn out” from hectic work during last year’s budget-setting session and a legislative battle over redistricting in December, “but they’re going to have some good ideas” on public safety matters.
“A lot of what we did through executive orders is already being used as a template for legislation,” Braun said. “When something makes sense, you want to codify it. So, we’ll keep pointing that out.”
The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization that covers state government, policy and elections.
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