Police Merger Moves Closer To Approval

INDIANAPOLIS -- The city of Indianapolis is one step closer to merging the Indianapolis Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff's Department.

A City-County Council committee voted in favor of the proposed consolidation Wednesday night. The proposal now moves to the full council.

This has been a hotly debated issue ever since Mayor Bart Peterson proposed consolidation as a way of saving money and avoiding layoffs, RTV6's Jeremy Brilliant reported.

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Police Merger Inches Closer To Approval

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The argument continued Wednesday night with the same key question at hand: will one police department make the city a safer place?

Supporters and opponents stepped up the rhetoric during the debate.

There were more opponents of consolidation than supporters at the council committee meeting.

"I'm ashamed of the majority of this committee and the members of our City-County Council," a consolidation opponent said.

"If you vote for this and it turns us into a situation where our property taxes go up like they did two years ago, there's no going back guys. We're going to be in trouble," another opponent said.

Holding the decisive vote, Republican Scott Keller has changed his mind. Keller first opposed consolidation, but now supports it. He has been accused of political manipulation.

"There was no deal with (council president) Steve Talley, and as you heard tonight, someone said there was buying of votes. There was no buying or selling of any votes, nor trading," Keller said.

The Fraternal Order of Police, which represents officers from both IPD and the sheriff's department, has staunchly opposed merging the two entities, insisting it will compromise safety.

"Public safety will go down. IPD officers will be moved out of the city. Taxes in the township areas will go up, and at the end of the day we will not have effective, efficient public safety," said FOP president Vince Huber.

If the council votes come down as expected, the council will approve consolidation by one vote.

The FOP hopes Keller will not show up for Monday's special meeting and will abstain from voting.