Indiana

YOU CALL THIS AN ARGUMENT?

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

Tonight is the City-County Council?s Public Safety Committee?s hearing on an ordinance that will transfer control of the Metropolitan Police Department from Sheriff Frank Anderson to Mayor Greg Ballard. Opponents plan to show up and make the following four arguments.

It lowers accountability in public safety by having two appointed officials in charge as opposed to one elected official. It takes public input out of public safety because we as the Indianapolis community will no longer vote on who is responsible for IMPD. It will cost money to move IMPD to the Mayor’s office, which could be spent on actually enhancing public safety. We already voted on who should run IMPD in the Sheriff’s last election. Crime decreased significantly once the Sheriff had control of IMPD.

Let?s walk through these.

1. It lowers accountability in public safety by having two appointed officials in charge as opposed to one elected official. There will be one person in charge of the Police Department, The Mayor.
2. It takes public input out of public safety because we as the Indianapolis community will no longer vote on who is responsible for IMPD. Yes the public will be able to vote on who is responsible for IMPD, he?s called the Mayor.
3. It will cost money to move IMPD to the Mayor’s office, which could be spent on actually enhancing public safety. Any transition costs will be nominal. Actually the taxpayers will save money because that?s less hours Kevin Murray, the Sheriff?s attorney, will get to bill.
4. We already voted on who should run IMPD in the Sheriff’s last election. IMPD didn?t even exist when Frank was re-elected.
5. Crime decreased significantly once the Sheriff had control of IMPD. Whatever! Actually crime has gone up since Frank was elected Sheriff, Don’t believe me, click here.

The sad thing is that there are some philosophical arguments you can debate for the Sheriff to be in charge of law enforcement, however if this is the best that the people who want to keep Frank in power can make, I feel for them.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on January 31, 2008 (boomark / email).