Public safety committee rejects changes to General Orders Board and curfew fines

Proposal outcomes: The Indianapolis City-County Public Safety Committee on Aug. 27 voted down two measures that would have changed oversight of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department policy-making and added civil fines tied to juvenile curfew violations.

The committee rejected Councilor Michael Paul Hart’s ordinance to convert the General Orders Board into an advisory board so the police chief would have final authority to create, amend or rescind general orders. Councilors debated officer morale, community voice and the board’s origin in 2020 reforms. Councilor Hart, the proposal’s sponsor, said the changes were requested by rank-and-file officers and community leaders and were intended to “give the chief the agility to adapt when things do arise.” Councilor Hart added that officers had told him they “feel that their hands are tied, unable to act decisively, when circumstances demand it.”

Opponents said the 2020 board created a public check after national protests and that changing it would remove a formal community role. Councilor Carlos Perkins opposed the measure, saying the board was created in 2020 in response to national calls for accountability and that “if the concern is about quorum, it is my understanding that under this new leadership this year, when the board have met, that they have had quorum.” Councilor Krista Carlino, who helped lead establishment of the board, said the board preserved community oversight while allowing the chief to act in emergencies.

Chief of Police Randall Bailey,…