Good evening, everyone.

It is Wednesday, August 27, 2025.

It is 5 30 p.m.

We're in the public assembly room of the city county, city county building.

Welcome to the public safety committee of the city county council.

We'll start our meeting off with introductions on the first row, Councillor Hart.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

My name is Michael Paul Hart, representing District 20.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, Josh Bain, District 21.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Brian Mowray, District 25.

And thank you, Council.

On the second row, Councilor Perkins.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, Dr.

Carlos Perkins, District 6.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman Brian Delaney, District 2.

Thank you, Chairman Jessica McCormick, District 16, West Side.

Thank you, Chairman Robinson, Dan Boots, Washington Lawrence Townships, District 3.

Thank you, Council.

Thank you so much, Chairman Robinson.

Christa Carlino, District 11, Far West Side, Speedway, and Claremont.

Good evening, everyone.

Keith Graves.

Thanks, Mr.

Chairman.

District 9 on the east side of Indianapolis.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, Frank Mascaries, Southeast Side District 19.

Thank you, Councils on Leo Robinson, District 1, Chair of the Committee.

We do have two proposals this evening prior to our three budget hearing proposals.

I'm sorry, presentations of first proposal number 244, 2025, amends chapter 279, Division 9 of the revised code converting the general orders board into the general orders advisory board calendar of proposals, August 12th, 2025.

This is a proposal introduced by Council Hart.

Council Hart.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Members of the Council, you've got a couple, you got a little packet that I put together for you guys.

One is the Smart Indy, uh Smart Indy round table on public safety, uh, a letter, and then the other Gmail emails for the next proposal.

So no no need for that one today right now.

Uh the reason I gave you these things is uh I'll allude to them as I I talk through uh my statement this evening.

Uh but I just want to open up and say that you know these aren't like just like last night and in our other committee and the two this evening.

Um I don't just sit around and start thinking about you know I'm gonna change uh these things, right?

Everybody always comes to me with these ideas in this case.

Uh these ideas generated from the community, they generated from business leaders, they generated from uh our public safety leadership and and as a part of this report.

So tonight, uh members of this committee, uh I just want to discuss uh why uh I'm I'm bringing this proposal in front of you, uh, which is I've heard directly from IMPD officers, uh, from members of the community about how the current structure of the General Orders Board impacts morale and ultimately public safety.

Uh officers have told me they feel that their hands are tied, unable to act decisively uh when circumstances demand it, and that the lack of agility has had real consequences on our neighborhoods.

And I'll give you a couple examples of things that that happened recently, where uh we had some spinning ordinances recently, we had um curfew violations, and we're even talking about those things tonight.

Those eventually have to make their way through the the general orders board, and the the information that is given to been given to me is that uh there are layers uh beyond us when we even make changes that impact officers, and and that's where the agility uh comes into play that I'm talking about.

So, in some cases, uh it has been brought to my attention that this board, uh the general orders board, has failed to make quorum uh because citizen members did not attend, which has left our chief in a place unable to adapt to policy in real time uh to events that are occurring in Indianapolis.

And what what we need as a city is uh the ability for the chief to have that agility to adapt uh when things do arise.

So the goal here, I want to be very clear that the goal here is not to silence the public voice by any means.

This there is no intention.

Uh this does not eliminate the general orders board.

It is it is quite the opposite.

Uh my under this proposal idea that again came from uh leadership and as well as rank and file members, uh, under this proposal, the chief of police, who is appointed by the mayor, that the city of Indianapolis elected, and then confirmed by the council, who all of we then uh confirm, the chief would become responsible uh and held accountable for submitting, amending, creating uh or rescinding any general order, giving that flexibility and agility to him as well as that responsibility.