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| IMPD Chief Rick Hite (Kelly Wilkinson/Indianapolis Star Photo) |
IMPD Chief Rick Hite wants the public to know that transparency in policing is more than just a slogan. That's why he's ordered all officers of appointed rank within the department to begin wearing white shirts as of May 1 so the public can distinguish them from other police officers. Read it yourself. You just can't make this stuff up.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) constantly strives to enhance the public’s perception of the policing profession by ensuring accountability, professionalism, and transparency is at the forefront of our day-to-day activities. Men and women holding appointed ranks within IMPD will therefore transition to wearing white uniform shirts, effective May 1.
This uniform change is being implemented within IMPD during a time of increased scrutiny of police operations and tactics, and increased demands of accountability by the general public. However, the decision to alter the uniform requirement for Command Staff members is NOT related to any specific, individual incident occurring elsewhere in the United States.
Although it’s a relatively minor uniform adjustment which will apply to Majors, District Commanders, Deputy Chiefs, Assistant Chiefs and the Chief of Police himself, the wearing of white shirts fulfills some very important purposes. The citizens of Indianapolis have reasonably increased expectations of those in command level positions. Command staff personnel will be immediately identifiable by those who do not recognize the subtle differences in collar brass currently worn by IMPD officers.
Additionally, IMPD Command Staff personnel have the responsibility of publicly leading from the front, while being accessible to the members of the general public they serve. Whether it involves being available for questions or concerns within our communities, receiving input about the needs of neighborhoods, businesses, schools, or churches; or whether it makes Command Staff personnel more available for those who wish to report crimes or suspicious activity, those wearing white uniform shirts can and should be viewed as the final point of contact to the police department for all of these reasons and more.
Finally, this uniform change ensures consistency within the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Each division within DPS requires personnel in specific ranks to wear white uniform shirts.
Contact Information:
Richard Riddle, Media Relations
So he wants white-shirt officers to be exempt from doing any work and to "feel special," effectively taking white-shirts out of the ranks of cops doing real work, so he just jammed two things together, even though they make no sense together, at all.
ReplyDelete"Hey, Boss. We want to wear white shirts to show we're not just some rookie."
"Sounds good to me, but how do we make the change?"
"Find something else that's going on, and say this takes care of it."
"The only thing we have going on are some cover-ups of our cops killing people, some of our boys getting away with driving crimes, and our usual stonewalling of Advance Indiana. Some people"
"No problem, Boss. You're not from here, so you always have to remember that Indy people are dumb and do whatever a person wearing a uniform says."
"So what do I do?"
"Just take this white-shirt thing and say it makes the department more open."
"Nobody will believe that!"
"Sure they will, Boss. Just watch. Plus, Summer is coming, and I don't want to pull overtime and private duty standing around in navy blue."
"O.K., boys, let's give it a try. I own the next Mayor, anyway. He did as we told when he was a federal prosecutor."
"Thanks, Boss. Now, can we get a uniform allowance for the white shirts?"
"Seems only fair, boys."
"Thanks, Boss. Good job letting Indy know just who runs this city."
Hite came here from Baltimore PD. We have seen that Baltimore PD is a shining example of a failure in Police Leadership. They held back and did not address the initial rioting, allowing the matter to become so dangerous that the National Guard was needed. They ignored the property rights of businesses...and let their property be destroyed.
ReplyDeleteThink about this: Does Baltimore PD appointed rank wear white shirts?
REAL LEADERS wear the same uniform as the troops, reflecting the fact that they are part of the unit.
ReplyDeleteLook at the Armed Forces. You see the general officers wearing the same fatigues as the privates. Because they are setting the example: Follow me!
This new distinction appears to be one of novelty and prestige, which sends the message: Don't bother me with taking that accident report or crime report, can't you see that I'm wearing a white shirt, that work is for the blue shirts."
Someone forgot to tell Ricky they used to wear white shirts and stopped wearing them because everyone complained they were too hard to keep clean.
ReplyDeleteDoes the white shirt give a presumed excuse not to help a motorist with a tire change? Not to take a lowly accident report because it's beneath them? -Not to go into a dangerous situation because the white shirt is more easily identifiable? -Or is it to make them look like fire marshals, so nobody thinks they are police?
ReplyDeleteWhat an embarrassing fool. I am so embarrassed for Indianapolis when Hite opens his mouth.
ReplyDeleteLord help this city....
You truly have no grasp of IPD/IMPD history. Command staff wore white shirts for decades. Only recently did they change to blue. As a seasoned veteran of IMPD, I appreciate being immediately able to identify members of the command staff so easily based on shirt color. Would you prefer the chief run all of his future decisions past a panel of hack bloggers and their minions? You lose any sense of credibility when you bitch about EVERYTHING! Shirt color? Really?
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:48- White shirts were eliminated from the Police Dept because of the desire of REAL LEADERS to:
ReplyDelete1) Not be thought of as Fire Marshals.
2) Let everyone know they are Police, too.
This is a BALTIMORE thing. Hite obviously wants Indianapolis to have a LEFTIST, LIBERAL, PROGRESSIVE Police force that allows and/or permits RIOTING...like BALTIMORE.
Hite is decreasing the expectations of our Police force and now he appears to be trying to make an elitist Leftist department that allows rioting, mayhem, and destruction like Baltimore does.
Hey, Rick Hite, you need to go home to GARY or move to Baltimore where you ran the racist Vanguard Justice Society, which was a RACIST association with the goal of promoting blacks regardless of skill, talent, mentality, or psychological fitness.
Anon 8:48 - Check your facts: of the 161 years of service, our Police only wore white shirts for about 20 years. And stopped because the executive staff at the time (real leaders) stated they wanted to be The Real Police, and not elitists.
ReplyDeleteBut, then came some Liberal from Baltimore....
This just proves IMPD has too much money to spend before the next budget season.
ReplyDeleteHow does this help keep the streets safe? How does this help the police officers on the street? Do people feel safer because of white shirts? Is crime down because of white shirts? Is there some type of research or survey that indicates better overall policing and morale because of white shirts? Does the Marion County Sheriff Department wear white shirts? Does the Indiana State Police wear white shirts? If this is such cutting edge thinking, then why not follow? How will wearing a white shirt either reduce crime or prevent crime? Is this a crime strategy?
ReplyDeleteYou should check out the new promotion process that was held over to await a certain Sgt who was allowed to attend the University of Louisville in excess of $6000 @ tax payers expense for leadership course.
ReplyDelete