Missteps At Marion County Jail Leads To Shake-Up

After several inmates of the Marion County Jail were mistakenly released and two other inmates died while in the jail's custody as a result of apparent suicides, Sheriff John Layton has announced he has replaced the jail's commander, one of 18 jail personnel subjected to disciplinary action. Lt. Col. Royce Cole has been removed as the jail's commander, busted down to the rank of captain and reassigned to the Arrest Processing Center, where the worst he can do is fail to notice an arrestee in medical distress or aid in the timely execution of warrants for blood draws in OWI arrests, making test results inadmissible in court. Lt. Col. James Martin will take over as jail commander. Other jail personnel suspended for one day or given written reprimands included the following:

Delanna S. Williams
Asia Joenez
Deputy Darab Zahidi
Captain Diedra D. Baker
Sgt. Brian M. Worland
Lt. April Ashlock-Cunningham
Deputy Jose L. Sanchez
Deputy Aubrey R. Anderson
Deputy Matthew P. Suiters
Detention Deputy Iris I. Farries
Detention Deputy Joseph J. Lovalvo
Detention Deputy Philip R. Pettigrew
Deputy Andrea L. Weaver
Captain Robert D. Frederick
Lt. RIchard W. Brown
Sgt. Brian S. Hogue
Lt. Deborah A. Sullivan

Give the Marion Co. Sheriff's Office credit where credit is due. At least he's making disciplinary records available to the media. The Public Access Counselor in the City's Office of Corporation Counsel is stonewalling a request made by Advance Indiana of disciplinary actions against sworn officers of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department since January 1, 2013. The state's Access to Public Records Law clearly provides disciplinary records are public records accessible under state law. It looks like an appeal to the state's public access counselor is going to become necessary to gain access to those records.