Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police #86

“Late tonight, in a Historic Monumental Accomplishment for the Fraternal Order of Police, the Social Security Fairness Act overwhelmingly Passed the United States Senate (76-20) and is on its way to the President’s desk for his signature. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the measure into law.

This is a 40 year long initiative to right the wrong done to our nation’s law enforcement officers which penalized Social Security benefits by up to 60% simply because they chose a career to serve and protect their communities.

We want to thank our National FOP President Patrick Yoes for his tenacity and leadership in achieving this accomplishment on behalf of our nearly 400,000 members.

Most importantly, we want to thank our Active and Retired Officers who did their part in faithfully serving their communities.

These members also did their part in this fight by contacting their legislators and making clear they must Stop the Steal.

Suffice to say, this will have a tremendous impact on the benefits and supplementary income of our members.

Our Indy FOP attended a Rally at the U.S. Capitol and stood the line on behalf our members and their families.

President-Elect Donald Trump engaged in this process and we thank him for his support to help get this legislation passed.

We also want to thank Senator Mike Braun (IN) for his support of this measure and his communication and leadership during the process.

Regretfully, Senator Todd Young (IN) chose to stand in opposition to the Bill against the wishes of nearly 14,000 rank and file Indiana police officers and their families. Cops will Remember this…”

-Rick Snyder, President

Indy FOP Statement on Governor Braun’s State of the State

1/29/2025

“Tonight, Governor Mike Braun provided a pragmatic, common sense vision for our State and the challenges we face.

We applaud his public recognition of SB324 authored by Senator Aaron Freeman which enhances penalties for Fentanyl dealers, strengthens the consequences for those who target law enforcement officers, and adds mandatory minimum bail for repeat violent offenders.

This is a cornerstone of Governor Braun’s Freedom and Opportunity — Public Safety Agenda.

We thank him for his commitment to Closing the Revolving Door of Criminal Justice and look forward to seeing him sign it into law.

With Governor Braun’s leadership and his administration’s partnership with the Legislature, they can turn Indiana’s challenges into opportunities for all Hoosiers.”

-Rick Snyder, President

Indy FOP on Immigration Enforcement Concerns

January 24, 2025

Today, our Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police stands before you to share the perspective of local police officers regarding the specified roles within the enforcement of immigration laws as it relates to our Capital city and the central Indiana region.

We also want to clarify the proper roles and responsibilities of our IMPD and surrounding local police agency officers.

It is well known that illegal entry into our country has impacted communities near and far.

It is also well documented (especially within Indiana) the impact and deadly consequences of narcotics and human trafficking that has resulted.

Fentanyl has swept across our neighborhoods and is often traced to illegal foreign drug smuggling operations, criminal gang activity, and has fueled overdose mortality rates, narcotics induced delirium, and narcotics induced psychosis within our neighborhoods and homes.

All of which often falls at the feet of our local police officers as they risk their lives to combat crime, violence, sex trafficking, child exploitation, and narcotics dealing causing death.

In Indianapolis alone we have seen annual fatal overdoses at rates as high as 800 deaths per year with 80% of those fatalities caused by Fentanyl.

Unfortunately, we are not the only major city in the U.S. to bear the consequences of failed immigration enforcement especially in recent years.

These implications and outcomes have also spilled out to surrounding communities and our law enforcement partners attest to this on a regular basis.

Therefore, our local officers know well the need for border security and immigration enforcement.

However, we must also realize and confront the facts that the vast majority of our record levels of violence in Indianapolis (where we have had five consecutive years of record levels of homicides, nonfatal shootings and stabbings) THE VAST MAJORITY have occurred as the result of our legal residents and U.S. citizens.

Nevertheless, failed Immigration policies, revolving door criminal justice practices, rogue prosecutors and judges, and the politicization of our legal proceedings have now resulted in the rightful demands of our communities to enforce the immigration laws of our country.

Yet we must be clear: the enforcement of such FEDERAL Laws does NOT involve local and state police officers.

The role of our local and state officers is to enforce state criminal laws.

The enforcement of FEDERAL laws is to be done by Federal law enforcement officers.

Thus, it is imperative that we publicly make clear to our residents and to our local and state elected officials that our Indianapolis and Central Indiana Officers do have strong concerns about illegal entry into our country especially as it relates to violent criminals, known terrorists, as well as drugs and human trafficking that are ravaging our communities.

However, enforcement of federal laws must be enforced by federal officers, federal agents and federal courts NOT local or state police officers or state courts.

So as steps are taken by federal authorities, clear constitutional delineations must be maintained.

This is why we are publicly bringing awareness to these issues as assertive enforcement and deportation processes begin with the new executive administration at the federal level including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

It is also timely due to the pending introduced legislation within this session of the Indiana General Assembly.

Specifically, we are referring to HB1393 Immigration Notice and SB172 Failure to Assist in Immigration Enforcement.

In the Introduced version of HB1393 it would require local street patrol officers to make notifications to ICE after any arrest is made for unrelated state criminal charges.

This directive is NOT only infeasible, but it is also NOT the appropriate course or manner to ensure proper chains of notification and information sharing.

Past and current practice places the burden of notification and detainment on the County Jails and Detention Facilities, much like other notification processes for probation and parole.

We are aware that this Bill passed out of committee yesterday, but was AMENDED as proposed by Rep. Mitch Gore (from Indianapolis), and shifted the burden back to the Jails/Detention Facilities.

We believe more clarifications are possibly needed and call on State Legislators to work with our Indiana State FOP legislative committee members for additional process considerations.

As it relates to SB172 in its original Draft language it would CRIMINALIZE local officers for NOT cooperating with Immigration Enforcement.

We will NOT standby and allow our local police officers who are fulfilling their responsibilities in good faith to now become the Criminals in this process.

This proposal is short sighted and misses the mark on the appropriate manner and enforcement of FEDERAL laws.

Therefore, we call upon our Indiana State Representatives and Senators to slow their deliberative process, seek input from local and state law enforcement leaders (including the Fraternal Order of Police) and GET THIS RIGHT.

We also call upon Governor Mike Braun to do the same.

In fact, we have shared our concerns with legislative leaders and Marion County legislators, as well as staff for the Governor and trust they understand our concerns and will work with us to address them.

In the interim, we also want to make other CLARIFICATIONS on Immigration Enforcement.

[To Members of the Media Do NOT leave this part out of your reporting]

We must get Back to Basics to support and encourage LAWFUL Immigration …

First Secure the Border

Then the Focus should rightfully be on:

•Public safety threats

•National Security threats

•Known Fugitives who have illegally entered, received due process, and have already been ordered removed by a Federal Immigration Judge but did NOT leave.

*We also concur with prioritizing and finding the 300,000+ unattended children who were released into the country by the federal government and who the federal government now cannot find.

This obviously raises child trafficking concerns and should be paramount in FEDERAL Immigration Enforcement and Child Safety and Wellness. (This past governmental deliberate indifference and the victimization of migrant children may be one of the greatest National tragedies of our times).

Therefore, the focus and burden should be on the Jails and Detention Facilities post arrest for local and state crimes.

We understand that More access to the Jails will result in less Agents in the community and mitigate the chance for “collateral” arrests of Non-Violent Offenders.

We are in no way advocating to harbor or conceal a criminal illegal alien from ICE or impede the lawful work of federal agents.

We have also communicated with IMPD Chief of Police Chris Bailey to ensure information sharing in accordance with existing state and federal laws will continue as proscribed.

We just want to ensure clear delineation on the roles between Federal Agents and Local Police as we move forward.

-Rick Snyder, President Indianapolis FOP

Statement from the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police following NOT GUILTY Verdicts on Two IMPD Officers

December 6, 2024

There are no winners in this case.

There are also no criminal actions by the officers involved.

Instead, these officers faithfully responded to a call for help and while they attempted to help, a death occurred as the result of a medical matter that was compounded by the patient’s actions, physical condition, and narcotics induced delirium.

As was known from the beginning, these officers were placed in a no-win situation – not by their choosing – but by being responsive to the call for service, patient and professional in their steps to intervene, and by being truthful and forthright in their testimony.

This is the question facing the Indianapolis community, our capital city, and the entire State of Indiana:

Is this really the way we, as a society, are going to treat those who step forward to help, serve, and protect?

When there are no negative outcomes, we call them professionals…

When officers die in such service, we call them heroes…

But when tragedies occur, outside of their control, while providing care…we call them criminals??

We cannot allow this Prosecutor to continue doing business like this!

He knows better and so do those carrying his water and doing his dirty work in these predatory prosecutions.

Marion County Prosecutor, Ryan Mears, knew that there was not cause to criminally charge these officers. Yet he covered his political backside by routing this case to a Grand Jury and it is now clear he did not provide them the full information and context for their review and decision-making process.

Once again, the justice system in Marion County was short changed and short circuited.

Instead of the truth, this community (and this family), were tricked with false expectations and flawed ethics by those involved in moving this case forward while preying on their emotions. We pray for peace and healing for the Whitfield family.

Unfortunately, it’s the tax payers who foot the bill and it’s the prosecutor’s office that loses credibility.

It’s also the sworn officers of Indianapolis who keep getting used a political fodder for failed prosecutorial theater.

That is why the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police will be pursuing intervention at the Statehouse and sanctions for such conduct. -Rick Snyder, President

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