Changes are coming to the Gary Police Department. Three months after Gary officials announced a nationwide search for a new police chief and a policy review with the Indiana State Police, an update on their progress was given Wednesday.
Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said the heart of the Gary Police Department is strong, but there's been a lapse in keeping policies and procedures up to date. "We have to think differently because the way things are, whether it's right here in the heart of Gary with the violence and the number of murders that have happened this year, the number of nonfatal shootings, it is not okay. The mass shootings — it's not okay," Carter said during a press conference Wednesday.
He said State Senator Rodney Pol and staff from the Lake County Prosecutor's Office have rewritten many of the department's policies, using best practices from around Indiana and similarly-sized communities around the country.
Carter also highlighted the importance of de-escalation training and police body cameras. "I was wrong for many, many years, opposing [body cameras] and that technology. I strongly would encourage it to happen. It's amazing what happens when the community sees what we do. But it also holds us accountable for how we treat other human beings, and you should continue to hold us accountable," Carter said.
He's also recommending an electronic tracking system for evidence property and a clear process for internal investigations.
Meanwhile, the Gary Police chief position is starting to get some interest. State Police Major Jerry Williams said about 24 applications had been received since the opening was posted last Friday.
"So you are certainly getting quite a bit of attention from as close as within the agency itself and as far away as Arizona and New York," Williams said.
Applicants will be interviewed by a panel consisting mainly of retired law enforcement officers. Mayor Jerome Prince also plans to appoint some members of the public who'll be able to offer feedback.
But members of the city council feel left out of the process. In a press release Thursday, Council President William Godwin complained that no council members were invited to Wednesday's press conference, which he dismissed as a "political stunt" and a "slap in the face to the City's legislative body." He said, "If this is how the Mayor and the Indiana State Police intend to conduct business, then this partnership is dead on arrival."
