Indianapolis Church Leaders Want IMPD Chief to Resign

Source: Ashley Greene-Hogue / facebook

INDIANAPOLIS –Leaders with Purpose of Life Ministries are calling on Indy Metro Police Randal Taylor to resign. They say Indianapolis is unsafe right now and that Taylor is unwilling to discuss serious crimes, including hundreds of unsolved murders.

Reverend David Greene says since 2020, under Chief Taylor’s rein, homicide rates have averaged 200 victims, while non-fatal shootings are up around 700.

“Chief Taylor fits a consistent pattern,” said Greene. “Where Indianapolis city officials continue to play politics to benefit a few while refusing meaningful community engagement with the many.”

Greene said Indianapolis residents are experiencing ‘disingenuous’ engagement with a police department that’s heavily funded and needs more accountability.

“When we consider the number of homicides and the number of non-fatal shootings and the fact that the majority of them do not get solved, that is problematic,” said Greene. “So, the police chief must create an environment where we are going to solve that.”

Pastor Wayne Moore added that the current way of solving cases does not work for the community because of the communication breakdown.

The church wants Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett to fire Chief Taylor and begin the search for a new chief immediately.

Hogsett says he’s glad to have Taylor in charge.

“Under Chief Taylor’s leadership, IMPD has instituted many of its most important transparency and accountability measures, including body cameras for all patrol officers, the distribution of critical incident review videos, civilian majorities on the use of force and general orders boards, and more. The work of IMPD has been critical in reducing criminal homicides by 16% last year, and an additional 12% this year, alongside declines across other major crime categories. Chief Taylor has my support,” said Hogsett in a statement Wednesday.

IMPD issued a statement as well.

Under his leadership:

·         The IMPD implemented body-worn cameras and more than 1,400 body worn cameras have been distributed and equipped to officers.

·         In 2020, the department began releasing critical incident videos which are shared on social media.

• • • These videos aim to strike a balance between preserving the integrity of the investigation and our desire to be as transparent as possible with the community.
    • Prior to releasing these videos, Chief Taylor meets with a community group who reviews and provides feedback on the videos, as well as the process for developing the videos.

·         Since 2018, all IMPD officers receive implicit bias training and de-escalation training.

·         Officers attend Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training, which teaches officers the importance of intervening to prevent and stop police misconduct.

·          Under Chief Taylor’s leadership, the Use of Force Board and General Orders Boards were created. Both have a majority civilian representation.

• The General Orders Board examines police policies and considers possible changes.
• The Use of Force Review Board reviews instances in which police officers use force and then determines whether their actions violated IMPD policies. This begins once prosecutors and police have completed the criminal investigation of an incident.

·         Chief Taylor, with the input from the community, re-wrote the Use of Force policy to include the proportionate use of force, the duty to intervene, a requirement to provide medical aid, and strictly prohibiting the use of chokeholds.

·         Chief Taylor prohibited the use of no-knock search warrants.

·         The disciplinary process was overhauled with input from the community and the Civilian Police Merit Board.

·         For the past two years, Chief Taylor has hosted virtual town halls in every police district to update residents on the department and its initiatives. These town halls included a direct question-and-answer session with Chief Taylor and IMPD leadership.

·         In April 2023, IMPD held a Spanish-speaking town hall with the Hispanic and Latino communities.

·         As of August 9, 2023, criminal homicides are down 12%, non-fatal shootings are down 12% and below 2020 levels, robberies continue a year after year decline, down 7% compared to 2022.