Indiana

TAKE A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

Believe it or not I actually had some time this weekend to get a few things in order around the house. While doing so I came across some 2005 articles and clippings regarding police consolidation.

Some of you might recall those days when former Mayor Bart Peterson told citizens if he didn’t get police consolidation he was going to have to layoff nearly 50 police officers. There was an initial vote which failed but later turned around and passed. It may seem like a bit of a fog, but it kind of comes back to you.

Well in those articles, I found this line in a November 14 story right after the City-County Council voted down the merger 15-14. “Sheriff Anderson said the vote reflected the will of the people and he accepts that.”  What’s interesting about that line is that Anderson has opposed a full Council vote on who should control the police department and instead has called for a referendum on the issue. Even though there is no provision in Indiana law for such a mechanism and efforts to put referendum language in the original merger law were rejected.

If Anderson was willing to acknowledge and accept a Council vote as the will of the people in 2005 when the first merger effort failed, he should be willing to accept a Council vote putting control of the police department under the Mayor in 2008 as the will of the people also. The voters spoke in 2007 at the polls when they elected Ballard Mayor.

Perhaps the Sheriff should get in his squad car and take a drive down memory lane.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on January 27, 2008 (boomark / email).