Indiana

Good Cop, Bad Cop

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

More cops keep getting in trouble.  Two more IMPD officers are being investigated for alleged wrongdoing. 34-year old Christopher Poindexter is in trouble for reportedly filing a false police report to cover up an accident involving his fiancee sideswiping another vehicle while in his department issued car.

Another officer, James Ingalss is in hot water for allegedly having sex with a hooker while on duty.

And those incidents follow the suspension and subsequent criminal investigation of IMPD officer Anthony Smith who is believed to have forced a woman to perform a sex act on him in order to avoid an arrest.

Throw those three in with officers Jason Edwards, James Davis and Robert Long who are accused of stealing from drug dealers. IMPD Patrolman Jeremy was busted for helping a prostitute. George Leon Benjamin was charged with DUI for two crashes involving a police car.

Believe it or not there is some good news in all this. Bad officers are being weeded out and no one is trying to cover up their bad behavior. There about 2000 members of IMPD, and if you throw in the rule of thumb that 10 percent of all people are bad actors, you can see how IMPD is no exception.

I’m more concerned when these incidents are covered up from the public. There’s no question that IMPD needs to get its own house in order and Chief Mike Spears tells me new orders and policies are being drafted to address these issues.

But I have to be honest, as much as I get annoyed when I read stories about bad cops, I’d be much more worried if I never heard about them.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on August 21, 2008 (boomark / email).