Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Plowman Conviction Didn't Send Strong Enough Message

A week after the sentencing of former high-ranking IMPD officer and City-County Councilor Lincoln Plowman to 40 months in a federal prison for attempted bribery and extortion charges arising out of an attempt to grease the necessary zoning approvals for an undercover agent posing as a strip club owner, an IMPD police sergeant has been charged with patronizing a prostitute at a westside strip club while on duty and in his police uniform. WRTV has the details on Sgt. Michael Forrest's arrest:

An Indianapolis police officer was arrested Tuesday after an internal investigation found that he paid $5 for a sex act and lap dances at a strip club on the city's west side, police said.

Sgt. Michael Forrest, a 23-year veteran of the department, was charged with patronizing a prostitute and official misconduct.

Police said Forrest, a North District officer, was on duty, was wearing his police uniform and was driving a fully marked police car when he went to the Sunset Strip Gentlemen's Club in the 2300 block of West 16th Street.
 
"While at the club, he purchased drinks for one of the dancers, paid for several lap dances and engaged in sexual activity in a private room with the dancer," Sgt. Linda Jackson said. "The entire incident was captured on the business' video surveillance equipment."

Police began the internal investigation shortly after learning of the allegations on Nov. 22.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the club's owner showed investigators video of the incident and gave them a copy.

Police said the dancer told them that Forrest paid her $5 for three lap dances and the sex act.
Five dollars for a sex act? They must have a special rate for police officers. IMPD has suspended Forrest without pay pending the outcome of the investigation. Plowman, you will recall, had accepted part-time employment with PT's Show Club in Lawrence in violation of IMPD's rules barring high-ranking officers from accepting part-time work. Plowman had also told FBI agents that he had worked part-time in the past for Dancer's Show Club on the west side where he formally worked a beat when he was a police officer for the Marion Co. Sheriff's Department before its merger with the former IPD police agency. I wonder if the Sunset strip club was  located in Forrest's beat?

2 comments:

  1. I think the problem here is with this officer's superiors! -Questions are coming forward that need answers:

    What was the commander doing that allowed this to take place? Did his commander have proper expectations of conduct clearly established? -Was there a "culture of corruption" in that command that allowed to this to happen???

    Questions about command acquiescence to a problem that was common knowledge...

    Where is the leadership, supervision and accountability?

    -Does it only appear when the citizen reports it and the commander cannot say "don't worry about that" any longer?????

    If there were proper accountability and supervision this type of conduct could not happen!

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  2. I have work for city for 10 years i have notice there is a hiding culture at city that seem to tolerate this type of behavior, and the only time that the problems are corrected when the problems are expose by the media. If you dare bring up issues about corrupted behavior you get label as being a snitch by the anti snitching movement that entrench at some of the departments. And some of the managers, and supervisors are just as bad as the worst employee. I have seen supervisors run back and tell the person are person's that are involve in corrupted behavior that you are telling on them which in turn make for a hostile work environment.

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