Indianapolis—
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard overwhelmed critics by reiterating he's in control of the Metro Police Department by issuing a list of reforms and maintaining support for his embattled public safety director.Ballard's leadership had been questioned in the wake of the David Bisard crash August 6th when a K-9 officer ran down a group of motorcyclists while responding to a low-priority warrant arrest. One motorcyclist was killed. A subsequent blood alcohol test, which registered .19% for the officer, was dropped as evidence by Prosecutor Carl Brizzi who claimed the investigating officers mishandled the blood draw. Four top-ranking officers were either demoted or transferred in the aftermath of the investigation.
- The use of breathalyzer tests for all officers involved in personal injury or fatal accidents
- Prohibiting the transportation of alcohol in patrol cars, even for off-duty officers
- Prohibiting drinking by all public safety personnel at least eight hours before the start of a shift
- Ramping up the DPS Professional Standards Division to "aggressively root out misconduct and criminal behavior" and "develop an early warning tool to identify employees who are in need of special attention in order to prevent misconduct from occurring"
- Rewriting of the Department's General Orders
"I am committed to restoring your trust in IMPD," Ballard told a crowd at the Miracle Mile Parade on the city's southside. "As Mayor I do not tolerate police misconduct or use of excessive force or corruption. I will dismiss those officers who do not share those priorities and concerns.
"Policing is a tough and stressful job for our officers. They deal with nightmares, other people's and their own. Everyday we need to offer them all the help and support we can."
Also receiving the Mayor's support was Public Safety Director Frank Straub. Critics had recently called for his removal due to his perceived micromanagement of the Department and recent public missteps in proposed IMPD reorganizations, the demotions of three top commanders and ill-timed remarks in a high-profile murder case.
"I do refuse to resign and the Mayor hasn't asked me to resign," Straub told reporters after the speech. "The calls are coming from a very small select group of people who have said it over and over again. At this time we could just play the same tape over and over. We need to change. We need to keep moving forward, and I'm committed to doing that with the Mayor."
The FBI has launched three investigations, at least two of them at Straub's behest, into IMPD. Federal agents are probing the beating of a youth by an off-duty officer during an arrest in May, the Bisard case, as well as an altercation between Deputy Chief William Benjamin and an off-duty state trooper at IMPD headquarters last month.
A moderate group of clergy members has told Fox 59 News it intends to ask Congressman Andre Carson of Indianapolis to call for a Department of Justice investigation into IMPD.
"We're watching this issue very closely to make sure that law enforcement does its job in terms of investigating," Carson told Fox 59 News as he attend a Labor Day parade in downtown Indianapolis. "We want to make sure we're holding the right people accountable -- that this isn't some issue where we're seeing acts of retribution. We don't want to see acts of impropriety, so we're keeping a watchful eye on this issue."
