The following is a transcript of Jack Rinehart's report that appeared on RTV6 at 6 p.m. Oct. 16, 2002.

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Schneider: Nothing Was Done Unlawfully Slideshow: Hidden Camera Captures Activity

Lawrence Mayor Thomas Schneider (candidate for Marion County sheriff): "I welcome an investigation. I'm not even a bit nervous about it, because I know -- from a legal and lawful standpoint -- nothing is going to be found here."

RTV6's Martha Weaver: Tonight, the call for a special prosecutor. The candidate who would become the county's chief law enforcement officer comes under investigation over the use of public employees in a political campaign.

And for now, rising suburban crime rates and jail overcrowding become secondary issues in the race for Marion County sheriff.

RTV6's Eric Weisfeld: The Republican prosecutor has asked for an outside investigation of Lawrence Mayor Thomas Schneider, the Republican candidate for sheriff.

Weaver: The call for an independent prosecutor came today in the wake of an exclusive RTV6 News investigation. That investigation raises questions about the use of Lawrence city workers in the race for sheriff.

Jack Rinehart joins us now with more on a story that you will see only on RTV6.

RTV6's Jack Rinehart: The complaint came from a Lawrence citizen -- an allegation that Lawrence employees were loading up city trucks to deliver "Schneider for Sheriff" signs. By the time we arrived, the caller told us that two pickup trucks full of signs had already left a Lawrence government building and returned empty.

City workers, campaign workers -- apparent signs of political work at public expense.

Rinehart (speaking to Lawrence Parks Director Eric Martin): "So you didn't have any city employees that were removing signs from this building and loading them onto municipal trucks and then taking them out and delivering them?"

Eric Martin: "No sir. And actually I myself did signs Friday evening after work, and some of my employees did after hours."

Rinehart: Between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. last Friday, several employees of the Lawrence Parks Department appeared to have engaged in political jobs while performing their regular jobs. The first of more than 2,000 yard signs stored in a public building -- the parks department office -- were loaded into Lawrence city vehicles to be distributed across Marion County.

Rinehart (speaking to Martin): "Are you going to say, then, that none of your parks department employees engaged in any political activity during regular work hours?"

Martin: "Yes sir, that's the case."

Rinehart: At 3:05 p.m. Friday, Parks Director Eric Martin appeared to have unloaded several Schneider signs from a "Schneider for Sheriff" truck and then load them into a municipal vehicle assigned to him by the parks department.

Lawrence Mayor Thomas Schneider said six parks employees went off the city clock last Friday to donate one hour of their time to his campaign.

Schneider: "The parks employees did not act in an unlawful manner here. My concern, I quickly acknowledge, that the perception of what happened there was not good. I'm a little sickened by it and I'm disheartened by it."

Rinehart: Mayor Schneider said the six parks employees and a Lawrence city police captain who also picked up campaign signs have unlimited privileges with city vehicles.

But Carl Brizzi, the Republican candidate for prosecutor, called the movement of his signs by city employees in city vehicles troubling.

Carl Brizzi: "I would never advocate the use of city resources or city vehicles to be used in a political campaign. It's not something I would do now; it's not something I would do as prosecutor."

Rinehart: And Marion County Democrats characterized the use of public resources for a political campaign under any circumstances as wrong.

Ed Treacy, chairman of the Democratic Party in Marion County: "To think that someone is going to go out today and just pretend that they own the office and therefore can abuse it in any fashion they want to is something that shouldn't be tolerated."

Rinehart: Marion County Prosecutor Scott Newman, who this week appeared in "Brizzi for Prosecutor" ads, called the political activity troubling and in need of review. To ensure public confidence, Newman said, the review should be conducted by a special prosecutor -- someone outside Marion County politics.

Mayor Schneider says he can document time cards and justify the rent of a government building. Still, he worried about public perception.

Schneider: "Little things like this can cause you to get beat. I'm not sorry because I may have a chance to get beat. I'm really apologetic because of the way it's going to look to the public. That's the thing I'm sorry about. But I have to take the blame for it. I don't have anybody else around here to blame but me."

Rinehart: Mayor Schneider produced payroll records, rental agreements, and take-home car policies -- all of which, he says, legitimizes the use of parks employees for political work.

And because the mayor says the practice now looks bad, he will issue an executive order prohibiting any employee from working on the campaign when they should be working for the people of Lawrence.

Weisfeld: Jack, were any election laws violated by storing those signs in a government building?

Rinehart: According to the election board, no. But the Marion County-Indianapolis Building Authority has a strict policy prohibiting any campaigning in government buildings. So even if you work in a closet in the basement, you can't have any political campaign signs anywhere in public view in the building.