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I’ve just finished taking another critical look at the information concerning vacancies in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and it continues to raise more questions. For example, with IMPD averaging about 130 street patrol officer vacancies, it makes one wonder about the appropriations for those positions. Logic dictates the vacancies would not be listed if there was no money to fill them. And assuming an average salary and pension of $110,000 per officer, this translates into more than $6 million in the bank. And I have to ask if those vacancies are being used to underwrite some of the savings consolidation was supposed to bring to the city?
Secondly, because IMPD is short-staffed on patrol officers the officer-supervisor ratio is extraordinarily high. There are 354 sergeants and lieutenants, as opposed to 1109 patrol officers. That makes the officer-supervisor ratio 1:3. Best practices in IMPD training manuals are considered to be 1:6. So not only is IMPD short on patrol officers, but it is very top heavy with management.
Third, and perhaps just a disturbing, are the vacancies in the civilian support staff. According to the report there are nearly 60 civilian openings, with more than a third in the transcription and processing sections, which are necessary to move reports forward so cases can be solved.
I left a request late last week with IMPD to get an answer to these questions, but to date no one has gotten back with me. IMPD officials are more than welcome to respond and I will give them the airtime on my radio program or space on this blog to do it.
And for the record, I am not reporting this information to make the city or IMPD look bad or for the glorification of my already oversized, massive ego. I am reporting this information because this city has serious issues and we cannot fight crime effectively unless we have the infrastructure and manpower to do it effectively.
May 28th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Speaking of the police, I wanted to share something that really irks me. What’s up with all the “seatbelt enforcement zones” all over town lately? Do they have nothing better to do? Women are being raped close to City Hall, people are murdered in the streets and the elderly have been targeted for violent crime - and we’re checking seatbelts? We had three windows smashed on cars on our block with the cops were three blocks away checking if people were wearing seatbelts. Our neighbors can’t park on the street anymore - let alone drive without seatbelts!
Who in the hell sets priorities for these folks?
May 28th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
From what I understand, the seatbelt enforcement zones are all paid with “federal” tax money. There is no reason to get all upset about this. This is what happens when we have a nanny state. First it was seatbelts, then public smoking, etc. etc.. Well, whenever a law is passed, money becomes “available” to specifically enforce that law. There are grants out there for warrant sweeps, DUI check points, school zone speed enforcement, etc. etc.. Some have massive amounts of money tied to them. The reason they are doing them all now is because the state does not want this to continue. As part of the ‘everyone wears a belt’ law, checkpoints were to stop.
I will tell you one thing. You may think seatbelt check points are worthless, but they really do get bad folks off the street. At a recent checkpoint, a guy who was stopped for not wearing a belt took off running. He ran toward another part of the checkpoint and saw officers there, so he turned and ran toward another group of officers!! He then turned and started to climb a fence. He got tased and fell to the ground. As he was falling, a gun fell out of his waistband. If I recall, he also had drugs in the car. While the primary reason for this interaction seems silly, this is one of those guys who deals drugs. When the deal goes bad, he likely is one who plays the ‘first person to pull their gun wins.’ So seatbelt check points really do get thugs off the street. Do they get that many? I don’t know.
As far as petty theft, people are going to have to realize that they are being played for fools. Throwing thousands of dollars into your car is asking to be a victim. This is what happens when the haves start flaunting in front of the have nots and the addicts. If it is not nailed down, it will be gone. Even if it is nailed down, if the crack head has enough time, it will eventually be gone. My advice to people is stop wasting money on junk. Keep _nothing_ in your car worth anything. When someone looks into your car, they should see it full of trash or totally empty (maybe some maps in the door, papers, etc.).
May 28th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Mayor Peterson and his “team” supported and encouraged the merger, resulting in a weakened Police Department.
Funny how there is supposed to be a separation of powers, but not in Marion County. Of course, the same situation existed when there was a Republican Mayor and Council, but at least they didnt let the city go to Hell, unlike the past 8 years.
Time for a change. Greg Ballard and a Republican Council. The incumbent Mayor and Council need to be replaced.
May 28th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Wow, 1:3! Too many chiefs and not enough Indians as my mom used to say.
One night I landed back at the Indy airport around 1 am. As I was driving home I thought about what is going on in this city and thought, there is no good reason for me to be out at this time of the morning. I was happy just to get home safely and when I woke up the next day was not surprised to hear some crazy shooting had taken place the night before.
It is sad, but if I don’t have a damn good reason to be out it isn’t safe for everyday citizens.
May 28th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
With all this election-year crime-wave scaremongering, whatever happened to recently narrowly re-elected Republican County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi? Is he too busy shaking (not stirring!) martinis at his fancy new downtown bar?
May 28th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Hey, Wilson46201! He had to get his own bar because he wouldn’t be allowed in Julia’s!
Look at the crime trends and police manning numbers. Crime is high, police manpower is down. The mayor would rather give our money to Jim Irsay than use it to fund public safety! Yes, thats OUR money! Yours and mine! I suppose you would rather have a new stadium than safe streets?
May 28th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Lay off the wacky weed: you know darn well that our Congresslady Julia Carson doesn’t own or operate a bar — that whole kerfuffle was last year’s losing election campaign brouhaha. The GOP lost and the bar opened! And Prosecutor Carl Brizzi has certainly been laying low during this election-year crime-wave…
May 28th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
Frank Anderson has been keeping the lowest profile of ALL during “this election-year crime-wave…” Wilson’s words, not mine.
Where the hell is Frank? Should we have a picture book full of little illustrations and put a red and white striped hat on him like Waldo? (Wilson, this is modern day reference to the book “Where’s Waldo?” I know you aren’t up on everything happening in the real world.)
May 28th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
As an adult, I tend not to follow contemporary childrens literature but some anonymous nobodies do seem to be mired in juvenile picture books — I suppose if your literacy is lacking, “Where’s Waldo?” and the like might occupy your mind.
May 29th, 2007 at 5:47 am
Wilson, really you amaze me. I am truly impressed at the way you try to put the entire impetus for this crime situation on Carl Brizzi when he is only one elected republican. It’s not like the Mayor has been there for a while, or our Sherriff but you still reach back 8 years saying the whole problem is of Republican making. Sir, I take my hat off to your partisan dedication.
May 29th, 2007 at 8:03 am
Wilson, what does Carl Brizzi have to do with IMPD staffing shortages?
Please try to stay on topic.
May 29th, 2007 at 8:59 am
Are the 130 street patrol officer vacancies AFTER they added into the force the last group of gradutes ( 50-60 I believe ) ? If so then before they got added them into the mix in the real number of open spots was closer to 180 or 190 ?
When is the next class supposed to be added in ?
May 29th, 2007 at 11:50 am
It is my understanding that information regarding IMPD staffing was obtained by local radio host, Abdul Shabazz, of WXNT 1430. As a supervisor assigned to the Human Resources Branch of IMPD, I have reviewed the staffing information. At first glance, the information is unsettling and it can be confusing to some, due to its technical nature.
Upon close examination, IMPD has a combined total of 177 sworn and civilian vacancies. But upon even closer examination, 120 sworn positions appear to be vacant, but the Department list 79 probationary, 53 recruit and, 10 injured/military leave officers. There are 30 probationary officers assigned to Operations Area I & II, 49 probationary officers assigned to field training, 53 recruit officers assigned to the training academy and 10 injured/military leave officers. Of the probationary officers assigned to field training, the recruit officers assigned to the training academy, and the 10 injured/military leave officers, we have a total 112. The fact is, of the 120 sworn positions that appear to be vacant, only 8 of those positions are actually vacant.
The Department is taking steps to address the current relatively low and future anticipated vacancy rates. How? We have analyzed our current and anticipated attrition rates and have planned recruit classes accordingly. We have scheduled two recruit classes for 2007 and two recruit classes for 2008. The schedules are posted on our website for your review. Any individual interested in a sworn or volunteer police position with IMPD can view our website at http://www.indygov.org/impd or call us at 317.327.3346 to get application material mailed to them.
Sergeant Bruce Henry
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
Career Services Branch
May 29th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
So 49 of the open spots are not really filled until those people finish thier 24 weeks of training and another 53 are no filled because they are at the academy and still have the 24 weeks of training once they graduate. So 102 open spots can not really be filled till late this year some time next year.
And factor in retires ( 100+ ? ) that still puts the department way below normal staffing levels.
May 29th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Take another look at the supervisor ratio, On the street its more like 1:9 the rest of the department is 1:3 or even lower
May 29th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
So the good sergeant has provided factual reasoning. What now, Abdul and Pike Voter? 170 becomes 120 becomes 8. IndyU rabble-rousing notwithstanding, we have slightly over one basketball starting five, vacant.
What else ya got?
May 29th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Mr. Truth - of the 120 open spots - how many can ACTUALLY be counted as being filled by a probationary or academy cadet person ? A cadet or probationary officer “are strictly prohibited from performing any direct law enforcement related functions requiring police powers.”
http://www.theblueline.com/feature/INindianapolis.html
So if there is an OPEN Spot for a police officer you can not count that as being filled by a probationary or cadet since they can not do the JOB of a police officer.
Tell that to a victim of crime - well we would have had an officer on duty on patrol in your area but he can not actualy ARREST someone since he is a cadet.
Yes most of those 49 probationary and 53 recruits will end up filling those 120 open spots. But not right now and for some not for 6 months. And even then the ranks will lose 100+ to retirement.
May 29th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Sergeant Bruce Henry - What is the average number of retirement and or loss of officers per year for the old IPD and Sheriffs office ? Will the current cadet classes for 2007 and 2008 more than make up the current shortage AND cover those retirements / turnover expected for the same time period ?
Thanks for the job you and other officers do on a daily basis.
May 30th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Pike Voter:
The average number of separations for the old IPD during the period of 1991-2006 is 45.81 and the average number of separations for the old MCSD during the period of 1991-2006 is 15.43.
The total IMPD anticipated separations for 2007 & 2008 is 105. The total number of anticipated hirings for that same period is predicted at approximately 80+ additional recruits for 2007 and 50+ additional recruits for 2008. Will this fill the void of all separations? I don’t know. What we do know is that we must constantly examine our staffing levels and make fine adjustments based upon realtime circumstances.
I am sure that you understand that staffing is a dynamic process. The best attempts at staff forecasting of public safety attrition rates is often lead by available funding approved by the City County Council, Board of Public Safety.
I hope this answers your questions and thank you for your supportive comments.
Sergeant Bruce Henry
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
Career Services Branch
May 30th, 2007 at 9:17 am
Thanks Sergeant Bruce Henry for the information.
The way I read it is we are 120 short right now - but we have 80 in the pipe line right now + 50 more in 2008. That puts us at +10. But we have 105 leaving the force in that same time period so that still puts us down 95 spots plus everyone says we need more officers ( 250 + ) as it is. So in reality by the end of 2008 we could be short 300 to 400 offiers that everyone thinks that we need hired in on a full time basis.
May 30th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Anonymous:
You are partly right in your assessment. The Department did hire in November 2006 and April 2007 and those individuals are on our payroll. They makeup part of the 102 probationary and recuit officers. We count them because we are paying their salaries. So we are not really short 120 officers according to IMPD authorized staffing levels.
The Department tends not to over-hire even when crime is on the rise. Why? Because no one wants to pay for additional salaries even when crime is on the rise. Salaries are “character 1″ expenditures. We could over-hire, but funding would have to be approved and in place in order to do so.
We do need significantly more officers and as I said, we are hiring an additional 80 or more in October and December 2007. We will add 50 or more in 2008.
These are excellent questions and it shows someone is paying attention.
Sgt. B. Henry
May 30th, 2007 at 10:25 am
That was me above. Thanks for the response.
I know we are all just playing number games here but let me continue.
Of those 100+ Probationary and Cadet officers the Cadets are not out in the field doing any police work right ? And the probationary officers may be doing work but they have to have another officer with them right ?
Let me use some nice round numbers. Lets say on Jan 1st 2007 we have 1000 partol officer spots that cover 1000 beats ( over a 24 hour shift time period ) to fill. Currently 900 spots are filled by 1st year or higher officers and the other 100 are filled by 50 probationary and 50 cadet officers. So out in the field on any given day we have 950 officers out on patrol. But only 900 patrol beats ( Is that the correct wording ? ) are actually being covered since 50 are probationary and they ride with other officers for training. During the year those 50 probationay officers get promoted to Patrol Officers and the cadets get promoted to probationary then to patrol officers. In theory then on Dec 31st we have 1000 patrol officers out on beats. BUT we also had 100 officers retire during the year. In reality on Jan 1st we STILL have 100 spots open and 100 patrol beats not being covered.
I think the question that needs to be asked is not how many paid officers do we have - but how many patrol beats are actually being covered on a day to day basis.
May 30th, 2007 at 10:32 am
I think Pike Voter’s last question hit the nail on the head. How many patrol beats are actually being covered?
May 30th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Link to a list of IMPD police beats, population size and sq mile size.
http://tinyurl.com/3cbfh8
I counted 99 beats. That is about 12 patrol officers per beat. Spread those over 3 8 hour periods = 4 per beat. I think i read there were 5 shifts ? so about 2 officer per beat per shift with some overlapping of hours.
May 30th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Isn’t this the same Bruce Henry that is running for the City-County council as a REPUBLICAN? Seems odd that he is spouting the Peterson line!
May 30th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Just so everyone understands where I’m coming from, I don’t agree with the City’s position regarding the hiring of police officers.
I offered the factual information regarding hiring because it is factual and extremely difficult to argue with. On the other hand, the City did refuse to hire police officers and civilian employees for nearly two years while waiting to receive approval for Indy Works.
This refusal to hire is no secret and the City, specifically Mayor Bart Peterson is responsible for the problems we have regarding staffing.
Bruce Henry
Candidate for City County Council
May 31st, 2007 at 5:07 am
Bruce,
On an average daily basis - how many beats go unpatrolled ? or how many officers have to cover extra beats to cover those not being patrolled due to the current shortage of patrol officers ?
May 31st, 2007 at 6:29 am
Pike Voter:
I am working on your question about patrol beats and the officers covering extra beats, but it is taking me some time to get reliable accurate information. Some of the estimates don’t add up. When I worked district patrol in the old North (Adam) District, I frequently covered 2 - 3 large beats. I will get you an answer.
Bruce Henry
May 31st, 2007 at 7:30 am
Thanks,
We all do appreciate it.
June 4th, 2007 at 6:11 am
Pike Voter:
I am about to leave town for a few days, but I couldn’t leave without sharing this with you.
I looked into your questions regarding beat assignments. The fact is, I can’t get a reliably straight answer from any one. Some officers tell me they cover more than one beat daily, while others say they don’t. Supervisors I spoken with support the officers statments. One interesting fact shared with me is the computers at MECA automatically send the next closet officer to runs on unassigned beats, so district supervisors don’t have to make overt multiple beat assignments - the computer will do it for them. One executive member of the department told me that district majors are all given flexibility to staff as crime trends dictate. All this boils down to is we need more officers. I support expanding the size of the department. If there is anything else, please let me know.
Bruce Henry
Candidate for City County Council