What in the world is going on with the Indianapolis Police Department? Ten officers have been charged, jailed or investigated for alleged wrongdoing this year. Now there is this case:
An incident that led to an Indianapolis police officer being charged with rape Thursday began, prosecutors say, with a proposition.
"I'm going to give you an option," officer Anthony S. Smith reportedly told a woman with an outstanding misdemeanor warrant. "I can lock you up, but I really don't want to . . . or you can ride with me for an hour."
Marion County prosecutors filed charges of rape, criminal deviate conduct and other crimes, saying Smith later forced the 19-year-old woman to have sex with him or go to jail.
"Things don't get much worse than this case," Police Chief Michael Spears said during a news conference with Prosecutor Carl Brizzi.
No kidding. Everybody from people who work with children to caregivers for the elderly have to go through exhaustive background checks, character references and psychological testing. Would it be too much to ask for a little more care in selecting those who have so much power over all of us? A retired professor of criminal law praises the Indianapolis Police brass for the apparent "zero tolerance" policy toward any level of misconduct. That praise was perhaps due for the first five or six misdeeds. But 10?
