INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - Marion County Sheriff John Layton has made a tough budget call that may change how people are taken to jail in the Marion County.
Right now, the sheriff has 36 deputies who pick up arrestees from police officers on the street. It's an operating cost he can no longer afford to eat.
"There was never any money put in the sheriff's budget to support the sheriff's vans and the deputies salaries, 36 of them, to be out on the street picking up arrestees," Layton said.
The sheriff also foots the bill for deputies guarding arrestees who require a hospital stay. But the decision to send people under arrest and injured to the hospital is completely out of his control. Layton believes in some cases the arrestee can be treated at the jail by medical staff, especially when it doesn't involve trauma. He describes the medical bills paid by his department as astronomical.
"I don't believe the sheriff should be responsible to pay those bills when we are not the ones who put them in Eskenazi," Layton said.
Although the changes will also impact surrounding police departments like Speedway, Lawrence, and Cumberland, it comes as no surprise to IMPD. Eyewitness News has learned that the rank and file has been preparing for this day. They have even gone as far as drafting how they would hand the responsibility of transporting their own arrestees like they did before merging with the sheriff's department in 2007.
Part of their plan is to a re-assign an officer who is normally assigned to patrol neighborhoods.
"For example if I came in tonight, I might drive the wagon, pick up all the prisoners on Southwest District," IMPD Sgt. Kendale Adams said.
Pulling officers off the street for wagon duty bothers Sen. Jim Merritt (R-Indianapolis). He's calling for bipartisan talks to keep deputies on transport.
"We are not throwing mud. We want everybody to understand what the sheriff is supposed to do by law and where all the money is and have a complete analysis," Merritt said.
"It's very disappointing for someone who has never walked into this jail to have their own opinion of how it should be run," said Layton.
Layton has already met with City-County Council President Maggie Lewis and stressed he's open to meet with others to make the change as smooth as possible.
Eyewitness News has also learned that out of all the sheriff's departments in the country, Marion County may be the only one picking up the cost for picking up and transporting people under arrest.
Layton shared that the change is likely to take full effect no later October 1 if no other solutions are agreed upon before his September drop date.
Tuesday, Rick Snyder, president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Indianapolis, issued the following statement about the sheriff's decision:
"We learned late yesterday of the announcement of the Marion County Sheriff regarding arrestee transportation and other public safety responsibilities.
While we have concerns about the narrow timeline proposed for such a transition, we have confidence in the ability of the IMPD Chief of Police to manage the situation.
In the interim, a thorough review of the resources and assets needed for such a transition should be explored especially as it relates to the ripple effects placed upon IMPD and other local law enforcement agencies related to staffing, resources and equipment.
This should include an analysis of any such budgetary allocations, equipment transfers and personnel equivalents made to the Sheriff's Department when they assumed these responsibilities as part of the merger in 2007."