“This class is a very talented class,” Riggs said. “We’ve tried very hard to mirror the diversity of our community and we did that by recruiting from within Indianapolis.”
The current 9th recruit class is made up of 47 men and 11 women. Twelve percent of the recruits are Hispanic, 28 percent are black and 60 percent are white. The board approved a recruit class of 60 members and two more recruits were expected to be added ahead of the big day.
However, 60 new recruits will not yield a net gain of 60 officers for the year. Each year, IMPD loses and dozens of officers to attrition.
“This is a journey, not a destination, of continuing to have classes such as this,” Hite said, “so we can continue to attack this problem that we’re finding in our community, where people are lawless in their thinking [and] bias in their approach to [do] harm in our community.”How long will it be until white police officer candidates file a lawsuit against the City claiming that they were passed over by less-qualified minority candidates for jobs on IMPD's police force?
As the story notes, IMPD is playing catch up. The FOP says the total number of police officers that make up IMPD's force is 250 below the level it was when Mayor Greg Ballard took office in 2008. That's right. The 65% increase in the local income tax to support public safety resulted in fewer, not more, police officers being hired. Despite promising to make public safety job one, Mayor Ballard decided that diverting as many tax dollars into TIF funds and other investments that directly benefit his campaign contributors is more important than public safety. Mayor Ballard and the City-County Council are poised to raise your income taxes once again this based upon the promise of hiring more police officers. Will you be fooled again?
9 comments:
Of the 57 to start the academy, history has proven probably only 49 will graduate. Now that number will be higher if the academy staff feels pressured to graduate all the recruits to keep the numbers up. I saw first hand how the staff will lower the standards to keep a recruit in the academy. Of course, the probationary officer still has to successfully complete the Field Training Officer Program. The FTOs will know early on if they are truly allowed to evaluate the POs or if it is just a formality and all will graduate and become sworn officers. I truly hope these were the most qualified regardless of race. Time, the academy and FTO program will tell.
Rick Hite never had any formal police training and certification in Maryland. He was allowed to become a sworn officer in Baltimore as a favor to former Mayor Don Schaefer, for whom he had served as a body man. He failed the exams here multiple times to grant him a waiver from formal police training before he supposedly passed.
As they say, "The fish rots from the head first."
History tells us that the most horrific stories are hiring of unqualified minorities who are recommended for disciplinary actions or firing that end up in a drawer...
Does anyone remember Myron Powell, "The Un-fireable Cop"...this is the one who academy staff reportedly recommended for firing, yet due to his minority status he was not fired. The facts came out in a court record visible at Ector v. Powell which demonstrates a pattern of ignoring documented bad-hires by lowering the standard. The details of bad-hiring to achieve racial quotas in this case are sickening and everyone should read them to know what is going on with this new class of recruits. Take note...multiple disciplinary actions went into a drawer without action, until the lower standard bad-hire engaged in a robbery/murder on-duty.
What about other problem hires due to lowering the standards???
Three Indianapolis police officers face federal charges of drug trafficking...gifts of lower standards.
An Indianapolis Metro police narcotics officer pleaded not guilty Monday to felony charges at an initial court appearance.
Jason Barber, 32, was charged with the sale of a handgun to a convicted felon and official misconduct. Investigators said Barber sold the gun to a felon in March who was wearing a recording device and paid him in marked bills.
Minority Police Officers Covered for Gambling Houses
They need to stop lowering the standard and start taking only those fit and appropriate for service.
At this point, I am not sure that anything can be done to curb the violence and anti-social behavior of African-American youth. People cannot go Downtown to Circle Center on the weekend, nor Castleton Square Mall on the weekend for fear of being shot!
Not just in Indy, but across the nation. The family structure is just not there and the Mayors, "Reverends," and Courts do not want to come down on them for fear of being labeled "racist."
Ballard's 10-Point Coalition Executive and Habitual Criminal Endorsed by Police Chief was indicted again...
But nobody remembers that Ballard's Chief of Police Richard Hite broke Police Policy and wrote a reference saying he was "positive."
That seems to be the prevailing thoughts around the country. The cops are not allowed to do much for fear of losing their jobs.
I just think things have gone too far in the wrong direction.
Memos exist stating that IMPD will only hire a person of a specific race for a specific position. When brought to the attention of the media, they would not run the story for fear of being labeled racist.
This runs deeper than Chief Hite. It runs all the way to Deputy Mayor Williams.
In Marion County, women are not a minority, and to help curb violent crime, it is understandable that the county would consider hiring more Spanish speaking officers. We need citizen control of the police.
We need strict honorable civilian control of our police.
Mary Catherine: It seems that there is already such strict civilian control of the Police by the Mayor and his Director of Public Safety that the prevailing thoughts around the country are that the cops are not allowed to do much for fear of losing their jobs.
Look how Civilian Frank Straub tried to fire a police officer for coming to the emergency aid of another police officer and assisting in the arrest of a violent thug who was fighting them.
Your comments above look like a politician's talking points...so I'll ask the follow-up. Mary Catherine (wrongfully) alleges that to help curb violent crime it is "understandable that the county would consider hiring more Spanish speaking officers".
Q1: Are you alleging that Hispanics are the source of violent crime?
Q2: Are you alleging that by teaching different languages, violent crime will decrease?
Q3: Since Mary Catherine brought up the innuendo of Hispanics being the source of violent crime, what is your position on illegal's crossing the border and using our police services (ie: calls for 911, police dispatches, free jail sleeping arrangements, free health care)???
Mary Catherine has opened up a lot of questions by her racist statement.
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