Last August, in the wake of the so-called "police brawl," citizens of this city took a hard look at the Indianapolis Police Department and saw much that needed to change.
Last August, in the wake of the so-called "police brawl," citizens of this city took a hard look at the Indianapolis Police Department and saw much that needed to change.
While virtually everyone acknowledged the dangers of police work and commended the efforts of those who do their jobs courteously day after day, there was a clear consensus that the "good ole boy" system that protected the bad apples had to go. The Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee convened a Working Group, broadly representative of the community, to recommend changes to the current system of discipline. The Mayor’s office transmitted solemn assurances of support; two City County Councilors and a deputy Mayor were members of the Working Group. The new Chief pledged his cooperation.
Many of us who were asked to participate were skeptical. There have been at least four similiar groups convened to produce similar studies and recommendations; those studies are gathering dust on shelves somewhere. Whatever incident had triggered their formation faded from the news, and with it faded the political will to change a system that everyone knows to be badly flawed.
Now, after months of deliberations by this most recent group of citizens, a new set of recommendations has emerged. Many of the conclusions mirror those of past task forces and committees. Most of the recommendations are common sense: civilians should serve on the Board, rather than police officers being asked to sit in judgment of their comrades. The review board should be given the resources to actually investigate complaints. It should have the authority to hear cases involving fatalities. Channel 16 should televise its hearings.
These and the other recommendations are anything but radical. Their hallmark is greater openness and citizen oversight. Implementation will give the community a higher confidence level that the police power is being used appropriately; that the sort of thuggish behavior that characterized the downtown brawl will not be winked at or excused.
As the Council commences its deliberations, it is well to remember that, while the downtown brawl may have precipitated this exercise, it was hardly the only incident that has troubled the community over the past few years. The problems in IPD have been simmering for a long time, and public confidence in the police has been significantly eroded.
There will be those who argue that civilians can never understand the nature of police work sufficiently to be fair and impartial judges of police behavior. But civilian review has worked well elsewhere, and there is no reason to believe that our citizens are less able or less empathetic than any others. The Council should trust the citizens who served on this and previous committees, and it should trust the citizens who would serve on the Review Board.
It is time to make these changes. Good officers will benefit from increased public support and confidence. Bad ones won’t. That’s the whole idea.