If heroes are ordinary people doing extraordinary things, what do you call it when heroes do extraordinary things? I have no idea, but whatever it is, East District IMPD has a good number of them. At the East District IMPD monthly Task Force meeting on May 8, we were introduced to several of these special officers.
Officer Steven Spears was awarded recognition as Officer of the Month for April. He took it upon himself to follow a lead he spotted comparing reports from East District to those of surrounding counties, received the support of his superiors, and through personal commitment and dedication took that hunch and ended up uncovering a multi-county drug and burglary ring. His outstanding efforts resulted in numerous arrests of criminals who have plagued the eastside.
Officer Mike Bragg was also at the meeting and told us how he took a late night phone call from a citizen reporting drug activity at a home in their neighborhood. The citizen had kept excellent observation records which included descriptions of cars and people, and times of suspicious activity. Even though Officer Bragg is a Neighborhood Resource Officer and not a detective and was off duty at the time, he responded. He coordinated his investigation with officers in a nearby district and, with the encouragement of his superiors, did what needed to be done. Over time, he was able to bring down a marijuana growing operation which included seizure of not just plants, but also guns and heroin.
Also recognized for outstanding effort on behalf of the east side was Officer Sherron Franklin for the initiative she has begun on behalf of families and at-risk juveniles. She has created an initiative on the east side to connect families with local resources to avoid escalation of juvenile confrontations with the law.
Sergeant LeEtta White saw a need, especially in low income apartment complexes, to break the cycle of women who seem to go from one bad relationship to another in which they feel helpless to stop drug sales from their homes and abuse. Sergeant White created an empowerment program for women, partnering with local resources to help break that cycle. She has even written a book on the program which is now in its seventh printing. Sergeant White was also instrumental in starting the Baker One initiative in East District which tracks the most serious domestic violence offenders in Marion County. Her success in our area has led to the program being implemented now throughout IMPD. This spring she received the Police, Fire and Sheriffs Community Relations of the Year award.
A new initiative still in the planning stages is a liaison position to improve communication and understanding between IMPD officers and the Hispanic population on the east side. Officer Candy Perry from another district will get things started and do some training. Interviews are being held in May to hire an officer specifically for the Latino Outreach program.
Guest speaker, Officer Kendale Adams is one of four Public Information Officers at IMPD. Officer Adams said IMPD has moved into the social media arena now and is available through Facebook, Twitter and their Web site at indy.gov/impd.
Police Week is May 7th through 16th but the dedication of these heroes is worth recognition every day.
The next Task Force meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on June 12th at IMPD East District Headquarters, 201 North Shadeland. Come say thank you and learn more about what makes East District special. The meeting is open to everyone.