WHAT IS THIS REALLY ALL ABOUT?
There have been rumors circulating for months about the mental health capacity of Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson. I personally don’t believe them, but I do wonder what is going through his head these days.
An ordinance was officially introduced last night to put control of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department under the control of the Mayor’s Office. Anderson is renewing his call for a referendum on who should control IMPD. I will forgo the usual line that there was already a referendum that was called the last election, but instead point out that in the original consolidation legislation there was referendum language, but it was opposed by former Mayor Bart Peterson and taken out.
Anderson is leaving office after this term, so why should he care about who is in control of IMPD? What is this really all about? This is about his chief deputy Kerry Forestal. Forestal has been running for the job since the Spring of 2007 and Anderson has endorsed him. (Forestal is white by the way, so any argument that power is being taken away from the Black sheriff is silly and without merit.) If IMPD is taken away from the Sheriff’s department then Forestall won’t have any toys to play with and no power to get intoxicated on.
This is not about referendums and the will of the people, this about power and politics. Anderson and his cronies are about to lose it and they are desperately trying to hold on to it for as long as possible.
Control of IMPD can’t be taken away from these guys soon enough.
