Phone records from demoted cops

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - There are new questions swirling in the case of an IMPD officer accused in a deadly drunk driving accident. At issue: what were the cities two top cops doing the day IMPD officer David Bisard plowed into three motorcyclists, killing one of them.

The answers may come in the form of phone records. In the wake of the accident, three officers have been demoted: Deputy Chief Ron Hicks, Homeland Security Commander John Conley and Assistant Chief Darryl Pierce.

Sources tell I-Team 8 phone records will show that the police chief was contacted by his top command Pierce repeatedly from the scene 8 times in less than an hour. But listen to what the public safety director told us in a recent interview that the chief wasn't told of the gravity of the crash. Frank Straub, Public Safety Director says, "There should have been a call made to him, there's a serious situation and he needed to be there." Straub says the police chief was not informed immediately.

Two of the officers have hired Robert Turner, the former public safety director for Indianapolis Police, now an attorney. Turner says, "Chief Pierce and Chief Hicks were called away from the critical scene of this accident where three citizens had been hurt and required to attend a meeting with the chief at 1pm.

“They were called away by the police chief to attend a meeting in his office about bad public relations on the safety director and a possible press conference later that afternoon. Turner says the chief knew the gravity of the accident before that 1pm meeting. Turner says, "But the chief never left the office, the public safety director never left the office and they required the leaders that were on the scene to come back for a meeting. So, if you talk about a lapse of leadership I think there was one but not on the part of Chief Pierce, Chief Conley or Chief Hicks."

Meanwhile, an attorney for George Crooks, in charge at the time for the Fatal Alcohol Crash Team says Crooks got a call from his superiors with a direct order. Crooks attorney Ralph Staples says, "Our client was told not to respond to the scene." Attorney Staples Monday hand-delivered a letter of complaint to the mayor and police chief. Attorney Robert Turner is drafting a letter to the mayor asking him to investigate.