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…]
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…]
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…]
Supreme Court Rules Fleeing From Police As a “Violent” Crime
The Supreme Court issued a ruling this week in a case out of Indiana. At question was whether fleeing from the police was considered a violent felony and therefore could be used to sentence a defendant under the Armed Career Criminal Act. [Read more…]
Indiana Prison Costs Continue Climb
While many states have begun to let up on the “get tough on crime” attitude that has cost millions and done little to curb criminal behavior, Indiana continues to lock people up and throw away the key—and the budget reflects this. From 2000 to 2008 corrections costs rose 76% to $679 million. Within 10 years that cost is estimated to reach $1 billion if something isn’t done to curtail it. [Read more…]
New Online System Helps Indiana Police Track Methamphetamine
For the last five years, over the counter cold medicines containing the ingredient pseudoephedrine have been kept behind pharmacy counters. This regulation was passed in an effort to prevent the manufacturing of methamphetamine, of which pseudoephedrine is a necessary ingredient. A new system recently unveiled seeks to improve the way in which purchases of the ingredient are tracked. [Read more…]
South Bend City Settles Police Brutality Suit
A 14 year old boy was viciously assaulted in what amounted to little more than a misunderstanding in 2005. The city of South Bend settled a lawsuit filed by the boy and his father for $150,000 this week, no doubt a drop in the bucket for the trauma suffered by this child. [Read more…]