Earlier this week, Advance Indiana published a joint memorandum which Sheriff Frank Anderson and Mayor Greg Ballard sent to IMPD officers to reassure them the two were working together to fight crime despite their differences over who should ultimately run the department. A couple of days later, notorious pot stirrer for all things related to police relations in this city, Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, accused Sheriff Anderson and his legal counsel, Kevin Murray, of playing the race card behind Mayor Ballard's back. "According to my sources, both Anderson and Murray have gone so far as to even drop the “n-word” on several occasions in their attempt to accuse the Mayor and the Marion County Republicans of wanting to take power away from the 'Black Sheriff,'" Shabazz wrote. "If I were the Mayor, I would not trust Anderson and his cronies half as far as I could throw them," Shabazz adds.
The Star's John Strauss wrote today about the joint memorandum you read about on Advance Indiana on Tuesday. In a separate story, the Star's Brendan O'Shaughnessy writes about the efforts of Councilors Paul Bateman (D) and William Oliver (D), along with a group of black pastors, to get the Mayor to reconsider the move because of the racial tensions they believe are created by the move at this time. Bateman conceded to O'Shaughnessy that it would probably be best in the long run to put the police department under the mayor, but he thinks the move should at least wait until Sheriff Anderson's retires in 2010 out of respect to him. "Bateman said handing control from a black sheriff to a white mayor would 'polarize the community' along racial lines," O'Shaughnessy writes. Regardless of how folks on either side think about the issue, it appears certain the Republican-controlled council is going to give control of IMPD to the mayor's office. That means Public Safety Director Scott Newman will soon be calling the shots. He's already planning the transition according to Strauss' report.
16 comments:
Frank Anderson has done NOTHING to stop the blood in the streets. He made outrageous comments after the Hovey St. murders, but why are the 122 people who died last year any less important????
It is time to get the police aligned like other big cities, which is UNDER THE MAYOR. Bateman and Oliver have been silent on all the crime in the past year and now they speak up?
The race card has now been publicly played in the Red Star Rag by Paul Bateman.
Two articles in the Saturday rag.
A white guy is already running the show for the incompetant sheriff! His name is Kerry Forrestal. He's almost as incompetant as Frank himself! We need some adult supervision in the worst way!
The race card has now been publicly played in the Red Star Rag
You must have mistakenly thought you had typed indyundercover.blogspot.com. The discourse on this blog tends to be a bit more intellectual.
Frank Anderson is now and has always been a "paper tiger". He has never actually supervised the police department. He put political hacks in key positions in the sheriffs department based upon the amount of money they donated to his election effort. His skin color is black but he only cares about the color of your money. The police department has reached new lows under the direction of Frank Anderson but Frank Anderson still got his
$ 50,000 bonus from Bart Peterson for changing his mind on the consolidation. The real problem is that Scott Newman is no better. Indianapolis is doomed in the hands of these political prostitutes! I recommend that we all join forces to bring Bill Hudnut back to Indianapolis as Mayor! He was the last honest mayor that we had! Certainly more honest than Greg Ballard!
I guess Ballard is all talk and "No Show" What the hell is the point of ever Voting??
There isn't one bit of difference in any of them. They all lie and act tough until elected and then ZIP!
I see old Brizzi has arisen from the dead, oh yeah, guess what? It's another Election year!
It is interesting how people want to throw out the race card when all logic otherwise fails to sway opinion. Putting IMPD under the Mayor and away from the Sheriff has as much to do about race as honesty has to do with politics.
Crazy. Several things are going on right now as the old guard reach for desparate measures to control. Lets see how our newly elected, peoples mayor, handles things. Remember Mr. Mayor, we only get one chance to make a good first impression. It is only your honor and integrity at stake.
Both of these councilors are a prime example of the GOP's need to recruit and actively support good council candidates in the next election, as Oliver went uncontested and Bateman went up against an invisible candidate, Healy..which is yet another one of many reasons to dump Tom John, as he does not have the parties best interests in mind.
The only 'racial polarization' is coming out of the mouths of these idiots, and if we had a decent prosecutor, would be advised that such comments are inciteful, if nothing else.
I'm just glad to see that this will happen. Frank Anderson has done nothing to merit any respect, and if nothing else has been detrimental in the public safety arena, by appointing inbred hillbillies from MCSD to run IMPD.
If, after the IMPD shift occurs and Anderson wants to keep some of those uniformed hacks, well..if I was on the council, I'd have him justify EVERY position, and if they dont meet the smell test, then the MCSD budget be cut accordingly until a more realistic manning table is utilized instead of a created position for the latest McAtee, Forestal, Layton, Humbles, Robinette, etc, et sic ad nauseum
So we should wait to be placed under the mayor out of respect for frank until he retires? You have got to be kidding me. So, whats good for the city is not important, it is all about respect?
So, if he is disrespected then what? Is someone going to do a driveby?
What a complete joke. Let us get back to working like the police and not worring about who's rear to kiss.
2:58, you raise a good point, except, both Oliver and Bateman come from heavily-Democratic districts.
It never makes sense for either party to leave a ballot position open. You just never know what's going to happen.
There are Republican examples of council goofiness, too. Actually, in terms of sheer numbers, a few more GOP goofs.
Oliver's tirade is not surprising. He's a bigot. But Bateman is typically more thoughtful. He's obviously drinking the Concerned Clergy/Amos Brown Kool-Aid.
Don't turn over the IMPD yet, because a black man holds the job now? Huh? Did I read that right in the Star?
If that argument were used in reverse, and we had a new black mayor, and a longtime white sheriff, what in the hell do you think the CC and Amos/Oliver et al would say?
Frank had an outstanding career with the U.S. Marshall's service. He was nationally recognized. But his carrer in a brown uniform has been disgraceful.
Regardless of race, and whether you or I agree with it, Greg Ballard won, and 16 Republican councillors won. By my math, that's 16-13. Let's move on.
These maneuvers remind me of Letterman's Stupid Pet Tricks. Funny. But no so much if you consider it's our governmenmt we're talking about.
"The discourse on this blog tends to be a bit more intellectual."
So...you're saying it's OK for Bateman to try to use the race card to intimidate the mayor?
I am probably one of the last few people who watches the nightly local news:) I can count the times I have seen Anderson interviewed (on any subject) on one hand in the last 2 years. All of a sudden the sheriff is all over the tube acting tough and doing everything in his power to save all the deals and people he rewarded power to in order to consolidate the department. People hate to lose power! This is not a racial thing it's pure and simple a power struggle. Anderson will use any method possible not to lose his power base. Pure and simple folks. There is also money involved but that is a secondary issue. The mayor has the votes so I expect the sheriff will lose. For the good of Indianapolis lets hope so!
Let's try and set this straight.
According to the Sheriff he received more votes than Mayor Ballard did. This is true.
However this is comparing apples and oranges. Two different elections and NOT in the same year..........
The Sheriff was running for re-election as the SHERIFF not the HEAD of IMPD!!!!!!!!
Peterson, put the Sheriff in charge of IMPD. So I can only insert, when Peterson was running for re-election, he wanted IMPD under control of the Sheriff.
Mayor Ballard campaigned on having IMPD under control of the Mayor's Office.
Fyi....THE REFERENDUM was done on election day November 2007, and clearly the citizens spoke their mind. They wanted the police department back under the Mayor's control.
I agree that Ballard's election was a mandate for his taking control of the police away from our do-nothing sheriff. Anderson, as many have pointed out, has merely presided over a crime wave from his fancy home and his high pay. He has to be the worst sheriff in Indianapolis history.
Frank Anderson is a joke. He needs to reopen the Anderson Lounge on West 30th Street, bring back the naked strippers and invite Carl Brizzi in for a free lap dance!
Duke Oliver is a racist, an idiot and corrupt. Watch the Ticket House payoffs!
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