An outside assessment of the state's police agencies finds improved training, increased diversity and better management systems are needed to bolster relationships, trust and respect between Indiana police officers and the Hoosiers they serve.
The 100-page report by Hillard Heintze, a leading law enforcement and public safety consulting firm, was commissioned by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb following demonstrations across the state last summer protesting the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The analysis bluntly acknowledges the lack of women and minorities serving in top roles at the Indiana State Police (ISP) and the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), as well as the resulting implicit bias that women and people of color serving in the ISP told evaluators led them to believe they've been subject to disparate treatment in assignments, promotions and training opportunities..
The report notes ISP has tried to recruit more diverse officer candidates. But it points out one of the agency's strategies — sending white cops into black, urban barbershops to talk about the job — was viewed as "offensive or patronizing" by black ISP officers.
"The ISP provides its members with cultural awareness education and training taught by command-level personnel, demonstrating its importance to the organization. However, this training does not include a discussion of implicit bias or actions officers could take to reduce the influence of implicit bias when interacting with their colleagues and community members," the study found.
Similarly, the study recommends ILEA go beyond setting only broad requirements for police officer training and instead establish specific goals and objectives that all officers are required to meet no matter where in the state they are trained, especially for use of force, proportionality, de-escalation, and procedural justice issues.
The study notes, for example, that an ILEA PowerPoint presentation on the criminal law and procedure supporting police use of force probably should not contain an image of a Glock semi-automatic handgun on 60 of the 64 slides.
Other recommendations in the study include establishing a single case management system for all state-level police agencies, improving data collection practices to spot trends or bias in law enforcement practices, and expanding public communication efforts to help Hoosiers better understand what officers do.
"We applaud Gov. Holcomb's efforts to review and consider changes to the policies, procedures, operations and training of the state law enforcement agencies with whom we worked," said Rob Davis, Hillard Heintze senior vice president of law enforcement consulting.
"While any organization can benefit from a review of its operations, we appreciate the fact that Indiana's leadership embraced our assessment efforts and opened their doors to us without hesitation. It was clear to us they too want to make sure their operations align with best practices."
The governor said fostering an inclusive and equitable environment for all Hoosiers means taking a critical look at the state's law enforcement agencies and their policies and practices. The analysis did not specifically evaluate any local police departments.
"By commissioning a third-party review, we have assessed what state law enforcement agencies are doing well and where we can improve," Holcomb said. "As the assessment progressed, the agencies initiated an implementation of some of the recommendations and are working toward reviewing and implementing the remaining items.
"I will continue to do my part to assure the citizens of Indiana that law enforcement officers are operating according to the highest standards."
State Rep. Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis, chairwoman of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC), thanked the governor for initiating an outside review of Indiana law enforcement in response to community outcry.
"The IBLC looks forward to seeing the recommendations implemented to create transparency and change in our law enforcement community," Shackleford said. "It is encouraging to see many of the social justice initiatives that the IBLC has been advocating for, such as the use of body cameras and implicit bias training, be reaffirmed in Hillard Heintze's review."
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