'System is not working:' Head of State Police doubles down on calls for judicial review
A frustrated Doug Carter sat down in an office facing the TV camera.
A 19-year-old his troopers arrested just 72 hours earlier, who is accused of going on a high-speed joyride Sept. 26 that killed three of his passengers, had been let out of jail after securing a $1,000 cash bond, and $50,000 surety bond for his three counts of resisting law enforcement, resulting in death.
As the cameras rolled, the Superintendent of Indiana State Police of nearly 11 years shared his reaction.
“Damn it, this is not OK,” he said in an interview on Fox59. “What we’re doing is not working, and we need to talk about it and get uncomfortable.”
More: Teen takes 'full responsibility' for 'joyride' that killed his brother, 2 others, docs state
Carter lobbed criticism at the Marion County criminal justice system, saying the release of Luis Leyba-Gonzalez days after the fatal crash is emblematic of a broken system. He then called for a complete review of the courts and the judges who oversee them. A shaking of the “Etch a Sketch,” he said.
His statements prompted a strong response in the weeks since, with fierce support from Indianapolis’ police union president Rick Snyder, and Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman, and equally strong backlash from the same people he criticized, who retorted the accusations "are inaccurate, mischaracterize the judiciary and the Marion County criminal justice system, and are counterproductive to the goal of public safety.”
In an address to media on Thursday, Carter doubled down on his uncharacteristically scathing remarks and once again shared a call for action.
"Anyone that believes that all is well in Marion County, or that it does not affect the rest of the state, is living under a rock," he said.
What State Police say needs to change
From a podium at the Indiana State Police Museum, Carter reiterated his "unapologetically" critical comments, going on to say the release of Leyba-Gonzalez was a "stark realization" of a failed system to address violent crime.
"Our system is not working," he emphasized. Carter said that since the interview, he learned Leyba-Gonzalez's bond included a $50,000 surety, but his feelings about the 19-year-old's release remain the same.
He also shared ideas for changes he believes need to happen. Judges, he repeated, should be held accountable by the public to the same degree he says law enforcement has in the past three years.
"Law enforcement officers are not without sin," he emphasized, while also saying his profession has "never been in a lower place."
Carter called for a heightening of the Marion County bail matrix, saying the "floor should be raised" in cases where serious bodily injury is involved. He then said a staffing evaluation should be conducted within the Marion County Jail and the Prosecutor's Office to address a backlog of court cases.
In a backtrack of his earlier statements, Carter said his attempt to contact the judge about her bond decision in the case was "inappropriate," a move that was also criticized by the Indianapolis Bar Association in biting response to Carter's comments about Marion County Judge Jennifer Harrison.
“Just think how it would be if everyone in a case could first pick up the phone and call the judge to directly influence them about the case,” the group’s statement said at the time.
In their lengthy response to Carter's interview, IndyBar defended the judge’s bond decision and stated there are very limited circumstances in Indiana in which a defendant can be denied bond, which they argued was Carter’s suggestion.
Carter on Thursday denied ever wanting the judge to withhold bond in the case.
To him, Carter said he wants to address what he labeled a "circular system" that sees people in and out of the jail's walls. His suggestions would serve as immediate fixes, he said, though multiple agencies in the county must put their heads together to address the more complicated adjustments.
"This is no one's fault," he said. "No one agency, no one judge, no one prosecutor, no one police agency, no one mayor, no one City-County Council ... the position we have found ourselves in happened over time."
Contact Sarah Nelson at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Head of Indiana State Police doubles down on calls for judicial review
