Remember when the duty of a police force was to “protect and serve”? It seems we are moving away from this smiling face officer, ready to help a child find it’s lost dog or a woman locked out of her car, and into a job description that would be more aptly described as to “protect (some people) and arrest”. In Indianapolis, that changing role is growing even further as the police are outsourcing some of their more “service” oriented roles. [Read more…]
Man Alleges Police Brutality While He Suffered Seizure
An Indianapolis man has filed a lawsuit against the city’s Metropolitan Police Department alleging he was beaten when cops thought he was on drugs. The man’s behavior, he says, was caused by a seizure disorder, something his sister told the officers as they tried to arrest him mid-seizure. [Read more…]
Couple Faces Criminal Charges for Rescuing Deer
In the latest news of overreaching law enforcement, an Indiana couple is facing criminal charges for rescuing an injured deer and nursing it to health. The couple is just one example of law enforcement overstepping their bounds and searching for a way to penalize even the most benign of activities. [Read more…]
Indiana Residents Hiring Their Own Cops
The drive Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department cars; they wear the uniforms, and carry the guns, but these officers aren’t being paid by the city. Neighborhoods are hiring off-duty cops to come through their communities and keep them safe, at annual rates and to the dismay of some critics. [Read more…]
Evansville Home Mistakenly Stormed by Armed SWAT Team
If the police were looking for the type of person that would post threats on a comment section of a blog, what do you think is the first thing they would do? Maybe they would attempt to identify that person and talk to them about the threats—determining if they were nothing more than snarky Internet trolling gone-bad or if there was a legitimate threat. Or maybe they would just bring the SWAT team in and bust out a window and door where the suspect may or may not be hiding. [Read more…]
Is Cop-Killing Now Legal in Indiana?
If you’ve paid attention to the headlines (SF Gate, Bloomberg, RT, and more) over the past few weeks, you may think a new ruling in Indiana makes it okay to shoot officers. But if you paid attention to the actual law behind the headlines, you would know differently. [Read more…]
How Taking Out a Restraining Order Can Cost You Your Job
In Indiana, someone who takes out a restraining order in an abusive relationship can lose their job as a result. There is no protection for such firings under Indiana law, and that’s something that many people think needs changing. [Read more…]
Evidence Mishandled Again in Homicide Case Against Cop
For the second time, Indianapolis Police are under fire for mishandling the evidence in a case where a cop is accused of driving his squad car into motorcyclists while he was allegedly drunk, killing one. Community members, leaders, and even other cops are calling for a major shake-up within the department. [Read more…]
Indianapolis Police Consider Changes to Chase Policy
About 10 people die every single year in Indiana due to police chases. Some are demanding the Indianapolis Police Department make changes to prevent this from happening. But despite two recent deaths, the department is cautious to make any “hasty” decisions and is concerned that officers would see the changes as “surrendering”. [Read more…]
Audit of State Crime Lab Abruptly Halted
A few months ago we reported about problems within the state crime lab, where It had been discovered that numerous drug tests had been flawed. The three-person panel, appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels recommended and immediate audit to get scope on the extent of the issue. Now, however, the audit has been called off and it’s not clear if we’ll ever know just how bad the problems were. [Read more…]