Indianapolis Public Safety Director Frank Straub says the latest allegation of excessive force by an IMPD Officer underlines the need to continue to re-evaluate the way officers are trained and recruited.

IMPD is investigating 3-year veteran Nhat Ngyuen who reportedly choked a suspect he was trying to arrest during a domestic disturbance call.    Ngyuen was reported by his fellow officers and placed on administrative leave.

This is the second incident in months where an IMPD officer was accused of excessive force.  Jerry Piland was accused of using excessive force against Brandon Johnson during an arrest.  He has been suspended from the force and been recommended for termination.  Piland has been on the force for 3 1/2 years.

Straub says there will be a complete overhaul the police academy’s curriculum; noting the department does not spend enough time on diversity or community policing.   He also plans to bring in members of the community to assist in officer hiring and promotion.

Straub also says he met with the FBI recently and they did not request any information regarding the Brandon Johnson case, however he reiterated his position that IMPD would be more than happy to turn over its findings to the Justice Department.

I managed to run into Dan Coats and Brad Ellsworth over the weekend at separate events.  I asked them about a number of issues, and oddly one thing they both seem to agree upon is that the race will be a lot closer than what the current polls are showing now.  You can hear their comments below.  Both are about five minutes long.  Happy listening.

Brad Ellsworth

Dan Coats

Anyone who knows me knows that when it comes to social issues  (i.e. abortion, gay marriage, etc.) I tend to take a more libertarian approach.   I’m not a big fan of abortion so I don’t plan to have one.*  I frankly couldn’t care less about gay marriage because divorce does more to kill a marriage rather than two men trying to decide between stripes and pastels.

Now this doesn’t mean I don’t believe in strong families, I am a firm believer that the responsible two-parent household is the best way to raise children.  However, I believe a healthy economic climate is the best way to help families.  Not taxing to people to death, reforming education and having an economic environment where businesses can grow and prosper are the best ways to save families.

Mitch Daniels seems to get this, but Mike Huckleberry and his ilk just can’t seem to grasp that concept.    Daniels, who is a conservative has never said pro-life advocates should quit, nor supporters of traditional marriage.  However, the curse of being the grown up in the room is that you have to focus on what’s important such as getting this nation’s massive debt under control, putting people back to work  and reforming education and health care using free market principles.

How hard is this?  Frankly, the “pro-family” crowd has done more to harm its cause than anything else.  Mark Souder, anyone?  Calling for a truce is not the same as calling it a day.  The pro-family people can still fight over abortion and gay marriage, but for now don’t get upset when nobody listens because they’re more concerned about keeping a roof over their heads.

*This is usually the point where someone interjects about how under current law, my wife could have an abortion and there’s nothing I could do about it.  This is where I tell them if  things have gotten to that point between my wife and me,  we have much bigger problems to worry about.

Last year my Dad had some major health issues.  This year he looks great and through diet and exercise you would never know there was anything wrong.   I’m grateful to have him around for another Father’s Day.

And for the record, he’s a very quiet, mild-mannered type so I have no idea what happened to me.

Happy Father’s Day.

Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi is offering temporary amnesty for individuals who owe back child support.   It’s something I’ve seen done in other jurisdictions.  The government gives people an opportunity to get caught up on back payments by a certain date and in exchange there’s no additional penalty lobbied against them.

If I were a local government official who was strapped for cash, and who isn’t these days, I would think that amnesty might be a nice short-term answer to my problems.    If you think about what’s owed to local governments in terms of traffic tickets, code violations, licensing fees, sales income and property taxes  there are potentially millions of dollars out there that can shore up city and county coffers.   Remember when the State of  Indiana offered up amnesty and took in more than $240 million?

Once the amnesty period expires the locals and can begin a more aggressive crackdown on lawbreakers.   And for those of you who think offering amnesty is a way to reward bad behavior, you are failing to see the forest for the trees.  It’s cheaper to give people a chance to get right than expending the time and resources trying to chase after everyone who owes you money.

So if you’re a local government official looking for a way to make up for a budget shortfall, might I suggest a little amnesty can go a long way.

I am going to probably shock the lot of you this morning by saying something nice about public education here in Indiana.   The latest round of ISTEP test scores show students improving overall in the state.

According to the Department of Education,  81 percent of students showed improvement in their test scores.

The pass rate was as follows…

• English – 74%.
• Math – 76%.
• Science – 67%.
• Social Studies – 65%.

Indianapolis Public Schools also showed overall increases as well.  What’s most interesting about all this is that scores are up even though the education establishment screamed bloody murder when the test was moved to the Spring.   And not only are schools showing improvement, they are doing it with less money.

Remember, the budget cuts started last year and schools said the quality of instruction would suffer.  How can the instruction suffer if test scores are going up?

Now granted, one year does not a trend make but to make progress with fewer resources is not a bad place to be.  Maybe it’s not money that makes a good school, but how well you do your job and what’s expected of you?

What a concept.

Today’s blog post comes to you courtesy of  both state and local Democrats.

Equal Time

City-County Council Minority Leader Joanne Sanders told a recent gathering of Ds that the proposed transfer of  the city’s water and waste water facilities was was moving full steam ahead and Democrats were feeling run over.  She also alluded that the media had not done its job in presenting the Democrats’ argument against the proposal.  So in fairness to Joanne, I present to you my interview with her where she makes her case against the deal.

Joanne Sanders

Never let it be said that I am not fair.

Are Democrats Getting Stonewalled?

There is a growing rift between State party Democrats and LGBT Democrats.  Reliable sources tell me that House candidates who are sympathetic to gay rights have been “advised” by the director of House races to keep their distance from gay-friendly events like last weekend’s Indy Pride festival.

Gay Democrats are reportedly upset lawmakers like U.S. Senate candidate Brad Ellsworth and State Representative candidate Brett Voorhies and legislator Ed Delaney stayed away and Rep John Barnes didn’t walk the parade this year. The Marion County Democratic party did not by booth space at the event and instead tried to piggy back on the Stonewall Democrats efforts.  Stonewall Dems donated about $10,000 in the past to Democratic candidates, but that support might not be there in the future if state Democrats don’t start giving back.

In and Out

As we blogged yesterday, Brian Williams is out of the race for Mayor.  He joins political heavyweights Kip Tew and Joe Hogsett in taking a pass on challenging incumbent Greg Ballard next year.

And a big thumbs up to Tanya Walton-Pratt for her appointment to the federal bench.  Not only did she make history as the first African-American   federal judge in state history, but she is a first class jurist and a heck of a great person to know.

Brian Williams is exiting the race for Mayor.  Here’s the message he sent supporters on Facebook.

Last year, I entered the Indianapolis Mayor’s race with a vision of building an Indianapolis that works for all of us. An Indianapolis that works for kids with a safe, academically rigorous education, an Indianapolis that works for families and seniors with dynamic neighborhoods, clean air and clean water, an Indianapolis that works for businesses with a functioning mass transit system and a culture that nurtures entrepreneurship, and a city that works for the civic organizations that make Indianapolis a great community with sustainable, stable funding mechanisms.

A city that works for all of us is necessary if the citizens of Indianapolis are to thrive in a global economy. With the establishment of property tax caps and the lack of a vibrant public discourse on community priorities, the citizens of Indianapolis lately have been offered ill-conceived proposals such as the sale of the water and sewer systems to address in temporary and insignificant ways the long-term challenges we face.

In analyzing the proposed sale of the water and sewer systems, our campaign forced a higher level of scrutiny from the press and public. Our proposal to significantly alter the manner by which we manage public education in Indianapolis is consistent with proven national efforts. By recruiting precinct committee person candidates, our campaign raised the level of involvement in the democratic process which is always a good thing.

Today, because of business demands and family concerns, I have made the difficult decision to suspend my mayoral campaign. However, I am proud of the efforts our team has made and believe we have raised issues and standards that are relevant to the success of our city’s future.

I am pleased to announce that I am also endorsing Melina Kennedy for Mayor. Melina offers the leadership needed for Indianapolis to succeed in these challenging economic times, and we share a perspective on building a city that offers a brighter future for all its residents. I look forward to helping Melina recapture the Mayor’s office in 2011 and working with her to build a city that works for all of us. And I will ask my supporters to help her as well so that we can be unified in our efforts.

To those who shared our vision and invested in our campaign, thank you. We have been frugal stewards of the funds entrusted to us and are returning nearly 80 cents of every dollar invested. For those whom my campaign was their first foray into politics, I encourage you to stay involved. Our party and democracy function best with active, diverse representation. My wife, Susan, and I, along with my siblings and their families all call Indianapolis home, and I will never stop working to make my hometown a city that works for all of us.

Sincerely,
Brian

Williams’ exiting of the race leaves Democrats  Melina Kennedy, Jose Evans and Ron Gibson.  Although, I hear another prominent figure may get in the race after the November 2010 election.  We’ll see.

News Flash, the Pacers and the City of Indianapolis won’t reach a deal before the team’s June 30th deadline.  I’m shocked too.  (Insert sarcasm here)

The big question now is what’s next?  I seriously doubt if the Pacers will go anywhere for several reasons.

1. The economy is still in the tank and no municipality can afford the costs of bringing the team to their city.
2. There’s a pretty good chance that there will be an NBA lockout next year over a failure to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.
3. The NBA would have to sign off on any movement.

I purposely left out whether the Pacers would have to pay a penalty if they move because there is still some question as to how that would all play out, despite what you may have read elsewhere.

I don’t think the Pacers can barter from a position of strength because the city has nothing to lose.  If the Pacers get their way, the city is on the hook for $15 million for the operational costs of Conseco.   If the Pacers leave, the city is on the hook for the operational costs of Conseco.  It would be one thing if the Pacers were a winning team, because winning cures all ills.

I had a few thoughts in the car Sunday while driving back to Indy following a visit with the parents in Chicago.  Here they are…

Huckabee Hounds

• Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels caused a stir by trying to be practical by calling for a “truce” in fight over social issues so this country can get its financial act together.  That apparently was enough to send former and maybe future Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee into a tizzy.  However, it wasn’t so bad that Huckabee was above using Daniels’ comments to raise money in a fund-raising e-mail.  I have to figure out how to get my name off his list.

Two Week Notice

• As of today, the City of   Indianapolis has two weeks to tell the Pacers whether they are going to take over the operational costs of Conseco.  Remember the Pacers “deadline” which was June 30.  My sources at City Hall tell me while the Pacers may have a deadline in mind the Mayor doesn’t see it that way.  In addition, the city may be in an even better bargaining position than originally thought seeing how the odds are increasing everyday that there will be an NBA lockout next season so the Pacers will be even more desperate for money with no place to go than they usually are.

I Didn’t Get the Memo

• The Black ministers and other local leaders who called on all five officers involved in the Brandon Johnson case say their position is the “official response of the African-American community.”   No offense but I don’t recall getting notice in the mail that there was going to be a Black vote to make that determination.  My wife didn’t get one, neither did any member of my family here in Indy, nor any black people that I know (which is more than some of you might think) so I’m wondering how they could make that determination?

And Then There Was One

• Chris Worden of Indy’s Painfully Objective Political Analysis is putting his blogging on hold for a while.  Although I think my good Democratic friend was wrong on most things, he was a good voice to have in the political chorus here in Indy.  With Chris’ departure, this leaves Jon Easter of Indy Democrat as the only credible, relatively independent, Democrat blogger in town.  Hey Jon, it’s lonely at the top.