Clergy call for resignation of Indianapolis Police Chief Randal Taylor

Update: This article was updated with additional information on Aug. 24, 2023.

Clergy members are calling on Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Randal Taylor to resign over what they call a lack of accountability among officers in the department.

“Chief Taylor continues to protect police officers at the expense of creating a culture of accountability within the department to the detriment of having an environment where officers do not feel the need to protect and serve the taxpayers who pay their salaries," said Rev. David Greene Sr., senior pastor at Purpose of Life Ministries.

It’s the first time the Concerned Clergy, which was founded in the 1960s, has asked for a police chief’s resignation, Greene said.

In response to the demands, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement defending its chief, by first noting 30 of his 36 years in law enforcement have been in Indianapolis.

"Since becoming Chief in 2020, (Taylor) has worked tirelessly for our city, the department, and its employees to be transparent and accountable," the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in response to the clergy's demands. "He has directed the department to be laser-focused on protecting every neighborhood and all those who live, work and visit our great city."

Series of deaths at hands of police show inadequacies, clergy says

Greene pointed to the killing of Herman Whitfield III, which resulted in two officers being indicted by a grand jury. Five Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers and a recruit trainee were called to Whitfield’s parents' home April 25, 2022. During that interaction, police tased and handcuffed him naked and face down on the ground while he was in the throes of a mental health episode. Whitfield died shortly after arriving at a hospital.

He also referenced Anthony Maclin, a man shot by police after falling asleep inside his rental car with a gun in his lap in his grandmother's driveway. Maclin's attorneys said body camera footage of the shooting never showed him with the gun in his hand. He was hospitalized for 17 days and underwent six surgeries.

The clergy also are calling for transparency and accountability related to recent cases. Last week, an Indianapolis police officer fatally struck Joseph Stiger, 34, with a patrol car trying to avoid a vehicle while en route to a domestic violence call. Days later, an officer shot and killed 49-year-old Dwayne Gary Harrell, who police say was fleeing with a gun in his hand after a traffic stop. It’s unclear whether Harrell fired or pointed the gun at officers.

An edited video of the shooting released by IMPD showed Harrell was shot in the back by the officer as he fled the traffic stop.

Indianapolis police in response said under Taylor's leadership since 2020, the department's officers began using body cameras. Shortly later, the police department started releasing what are known as critical incident videos following a use of force involving an officer. The videos are typically edited together with body camera footage, narration and 911 calls.

"These videos aim to strike a balance between preserving the integrity of the investigation and our desire to be as transparent as possible with the community," the department said in a statement.

Further changes under Taylor, the department pointed out, include the creation of the Use of Force Board, General Orders Board and the rewriting of the Use of Force policy, which, among other changes, prohibited the use of chokeholds.

'It is a leadership question and issue,' clergy leader says of Mayor Hogsett

Dr. Wayne Moore, president of the Baptist Minister’s Alliance, said the clergy holds Mayor Hogsett and the City-County Council responsible for the issues they say are within the police department.

“It is a leadership question and issue, and it needs to be addressed,” Moore said.

“We believe in (a new chief) that's going to create a culture that involves community relationships, obviously to address many of these issues, but will be firmly committed to improving the solvability rate when we consider the number of homicides and the number of non-fatal shootings,” Greene said.

When asked about the resignation calls, Hogsett said Taylor has "instituted many of (the department's) most important transparency and accountability measures."

"Chief Taylor has my support," Hogsett said.

Jefferson Shreve, his Republican opponent, opined Taylor should not be taking the fall for the issues the clergy raised.

"A problem of this magnitude goes right to the top. Mayor Hogsett has decided he has the expertise to be his own Public Safety Director, and that’s why we’re here. The mayor is accountable for public safety in Indianapolis, and this city needs a new one," Shreve said in a statement.

Department's homicide solve rate another point of contention

The clergy also took aim at the department’s solving rate when it comes to homicides and non-fatal shootings.

At the end of last year, 35% of the 226 killings in 2022 were what police consider "cleared." A case is cleared if an arrest is made, or if a killing is declared accidental, self-defense or a murder-suicide. A handful of killings that occurred in 2022 have since had an arrest. Most recently, Dominique Bryant, 32, was arrested in the fatal shooting of 43-year-old J'Mel Dowdell.

More: Indianapolis' unsolved killings: 'It's like a waiting list' for justice.

Indy10 Black Lives Matter said the group is encouraged by the resignation calls.

"We look forward to the day in Indianapolis that sees community governance and resources that will transform and ultimately end the culture of harm, anti-Blackness, and transphobia that IMPD’s officers and leadership are known for," the organization said in a statement.

Police officials responded that as of Aug. 9, criminal homicides and non-fatal shootings in Indianapolis are both down 12% compared with last year.

"His entire tenure, Chief Taylor has remained committed to maintaining positive police-community relationships, reducing violent crime, responding to 911 calls for service, investigating and solving major crimes, and maintaining high levels of training for our officers," the department said in a statement.

Reporter Ko Lyn Cheang contributed to this report. She can be contacted at kcheang@indystar.com or 317-903-7071. Follow her on Twitter: @kolyn_cheang.

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Clergy call for resignation of Indianapolis Police Chief Randal Taylor