Police Merit Commission gaining traction on role, responsibilities during first months of existence

A Shelbyville police officer was recently on routine patrol through Kennedy Park when he was flagged down by a young girl. She had cut her hand on glass and needed medical attention.

The officer cleaned the wound and bandaged her up while her friends, all hanging out in the park in the evening hours, noticed the four-legged officer inside the patrol vehicle.

Bronco's presence brought about many questions from the group. In just a matter of minutes, the patrol officer served as first aid administrator, public relations officer and ambassador for the Shelbyville Police Department (SPD).

The community engagement aspect was one of many things Bill Kent has learned while doing ridealongs with the SPD. Kent, retired as Vice President, Corporate Relations for PK U.S.A. in Shelbyville, is one of five members of the Police Merit Commission sworn into existence on July 3.

"When I was asked to join the Police Merit Commission, and as I got involved, I realized I knew nothing about police work," said Kent Friday morning during a radio interview with GIANT fm. "I've lived in the great state of Indiana since 1995. I've never been stopped, never had any real interaction with police officers, so I didn't understand what the responsibilities were, so I requested the chance to do ridealongs with police officers.

"To date, I've done six ridealongs, both during the week and on the weekends, day shift and night shift. I've rode with the lieutenants, the K-9 handler and now I'm doing ridealongs with the patrol officers."

What Kent has observed has been surprising.

"I was really amazed at the number of young children out on the streets," he said. "The streets are dark and they are unsupervised ... no parents around."

Kent witnessed the Kennedy Park interaction and the interest the children had in Bronco.

"The officer fixed the girl up and the kids went back into the park -- no parents and that is a concern," he said. "Kids need to be properly supervised to make sure nothing happens to them."

Kent detailed another interaction with a young girl.

"There was one girl we saw last night. I swear she was 8 years old running down the sidewalk," recalled Kent. "The officer thought she has blood on her face. he immediately turned around to check on her. She was OK but that was a worry."

Kent has accomplished his goal, learning the many facets of daily police work in Shelbyville.

"I've been so impressed with this police department," he said. "Law enforcement is only part of their job. They are family counselors. They are mediators. They administer first aid. Every incident or interaction I've seen with the general population, they are wonderful. They are concerned about the population they serve."

On another ridealong, Kent watched an officer deal with a drunk driver and his passengers.

"This example really impressed me. We were on a stop and the driver was intoxicated. They took him away in handcuffs," said Kent. "There were other folks in the car that did not have a driver's license. So, the van was parked but it wasn't towed. It was parked because in that van was their work equipment. The officer didn't want to take away their ability to work. So, he said park it, sit over there and have someone come get you. He then went back later to make sure they were OK and whether they needed anything."

Kent even witnessed interactions with homeless people in the area.

"These patrol officers check on the homeless to see if they're OK. They know many of them by their first names," said Kent. "They have interactions with them. They took me around to see where the homeless live. They want to make sure those folks are doing OK."

The creation of the Police Merit Commission was state mandated to provide oversight on hiring, promotions and disciplinary actions. Kent is one of five members of the commission that meets on the first Tuesday of each month at City Hall at 5 p.m.

The other members are Brad Ridgeway (president), Denny Ramsey, retired Indiana State Police officer Mark Mason and Bob Williams, former police chief and mayor of Shelbyville. One of the first points of business for the commission was a disciplinary hearing for SPD detective Kyra Peoples.

"We wanted to get that done in fairness to both parties (Peoples and the SPD)," said Kent. "We were able to get formed, set up our own rules and our boundaries and get a (hearing) decision in six weeks."

Story on hearing of SPD detective Kyra Peoples: https://www.giant.fm/shelby-county/news/local-news/police-merit-commission-reinstates-demoted-shelbyville-officer-to-detective/

With Peoples found not guilty of neglect of duty and disobedience of orders, the commission has now settled into its role of serving current police chief Bill Dwenger and the police department.

"Our mission statement, which I think says it best is: Serving those who protect us," said Kent. "We are here to assist the entire police department."

At its most recent meeting on Oct. 7, the commission announced it is working through the standard operational procedures for hiring new personnel that will be changed to add the commission doing final interviews with qualified candidates.

"As this commission evolves, I think our interaction with the police department will only increase and we will find different ways we can provide assistance," said Kent. "For me, as I learn more, I will have a better knowledge base as to what I can do."

The SPD recently released statistics for September that included 1,895 service calls, 447 incident reports taken, 52 arrests and six warrant requests.

Kent (photo) has witnessed those statistics firsthand.

"I am really impressed with the interaction and respect that population shows to the police officers," he said. "I've seen people get arrested and I have seen no confrontation. It was handled professionally. The residents seem to know the police have a job and how they do it."

Before the October commission meeting started, Ridgeway asked for a moment of silence to remember Sergeant Gary Henderson, who was killed in the line of duty on Oct. 10, 2007, while assisting with a traffic stop on Interstate 74.

A passing semitrailer has two tires disengage from the trailer and strike Henderson, who dies instantly. He served with the SPD as an officer for 29 years.

The commission also asked for a moment of silence for the 71 police officers who have died nationwide this year in the line of duty.

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