INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard didn't mince words in the wake of Thursday's revelation that Officer David Bisard won't be charged with alcohol-related offenses after crashing into motorcyclists, killing one and injuring two, because of missteps the department made in its investigation.

Ballard said he's outraged that some Indianapolis police officers apparently fell far short of protecting, serving and upholding the law, 6News' Ericka Flye reported.

Updated Slideshow: Bisard Investigation
Video: Straub Discusses Bisard Investigation

"They put that uniform on in the morning. It better mean something to them, because it means something to me when they put it on," Ballard said. "They better get it right."

Ballard said he understands a groundswell of community outrage in the case because he's angry about it, too.

"The best way I can say this is I'm well past angry on this one, well past angry," he said. "It's completely unacceptable, and we will get to the bottom of what happened."

Ballard promised a thorough investigation into what happened at the fatal crash scene on Aug. 6 and in the hours and days after it. He tried to assure the public that the investigation will be open and transparent, including a determination of whether anyone attempted to cover up for Bisard.

"If this is happening, I'm telling you we do not want those people on our force. We don't want them. That's not part of who we are," he said.

Amid several indiscretions involving police officers in recent months, Ballard admitted that regaining the trust of the public will be an uphill task.

"This hurts credibility. I don't think there's much question about that. This hurts credibility within the police department, but I'm hoping also that people know, and I generally think they do when they talk to me, they know that right now there are beat cops out there on the street right now doing a great job," Ballard said. "There are detectives out there doing a great job solving crimes that need to be solved in neighborhoods and across the city."

Ballard said ongoing changes within the department began in January, with the installation of Marion County Public Safety Director Frank Straub and Indianapolis Metro Police Chief Paul Ciesielski, along with the start of new training procedures.