Indianapolis City-County Council starts process to alter merit board
UPDATE
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – City-County Council President Vop Osili issued this statement during a meeting Monday night:
“No specific change to any aspect of the IMPD Merit Board are exptected until all those wanting a voice on the issue have been heard and consensus has been pursued. The purpose of Proposal 225 is to create a space in the legislative process for those ideas from the upcoming Community Conversations to be considered and processed through the appropriate channels as they are formalized.”
The first community meeting will be May 31 at King-Kennedy Park, 1701 Broadway St. Details about that meeting and future ones were not immediately available.
A small group gathered at the City-County Council meeting. Many held signs that said “black lives matter” and “Aaron Bailey.” They said they do not support this current proposal and feel like it was created prematurely.
“The community is not asking for more FOP representation. We are asking for less, so we need to have these meetings with the community first before you come out with these proposals that should be representing the community,” said Satchuel Cole, founder of IMPDtransparency.com.
Osili said the proposal can be changed or scraped after community meetings.
“The community conversations have got to be an impact. They have got to be heard and to help us refine, if we do anything at all with that proposal, but we needed to have a place for that discussion to have an impact and put it in the legislative process,” he said.
He also explained that his proposal follows state law.
“The merit board must have one third of the merit board be appointed by active members of law enforcement, so whatever we are pondering that has got to be factored in.”
He also said only two of current seven members were selected by law enforcement.
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City-County Council President Vop Osili is sponsoring a proposal for changes to the Civilian-Police Merit Board.
The proposal will be introduced to the council at its meeting at 7 p.m. Monday in the City-County Building downtown.
Two weeks ago, the board voted 5-2 to keep two officers on the city’s police force after they shot and killed an unarmed man named Aaron Bailey in June.
Former Mayor Greg Ballard chose four of the seven board members. The City-County Council appointed one and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers voted in two. All of their terms will expire at the end of this year.
Osili’s proposal would let the council and police each pick one more merit board member. It would also stagger the terms of four board members picked by the mayor. Their term lengths would vary from one year to four years, giving a sitting mayor power to pick new board members early in his or her administration.
Councilor Mike McQuillen, a Republican who is the council’s minority leader, said he feels the board has been “effective in the past.”
“I’m just concerned about anything that might bring politics into the issue. I’m sure that President Osili would agree this is not a political issue and we need to make sure politics stay out of it,” McQuillen said.
Osili did not respond to our request for an interview Monday.
K.P. Singh is a merit board member who voted to keep the two officers with IMPD. He was appointed by Mayor Ballard.
“I think it’s a thought we really need to consider, that when a new administration comes in they should have a way to really appoint some of their new people,” Singh said. “That can only happen if there is a staggering term. If there are two year terms so the new mayor has his own input and own wisdom and ideas.”
Mayor Joe Hogsett did not grant our interview request Monday but released a statement saying in part, “President Osili’s proposal would involve large changes to the Merit Board ordinance, and potentially significant effects on existing IMPD policies. I urge Council leadership to embrace a thoughtful, deliberative process — not a hurried reaction that could produce unintended consequences.”
Police union leader Rick Snyder said in a statement, “We strongly encourage Councilors on both sides of aisle to “tap their brakes” and slow down any discussions about changing rules after the fact.”
“I anticipate giving it a fair read,” McQuillen said.