Gary police announce new search for chief, partnership with Indiana State Police
GARY, Ind. - Gary is turning to Indiana State Police to help step up its police operations in a new partnership that was announced Monday morning.
In the next 90 to 120 days, Indiana State Police are going to assist Gary Police and take a close-up look at their policies and procedures.
Gary Mayor Jerome Prince calls it historic, unprecedented but also needed.
The Gary Police Department has been under scrutiny lately after it took them more than a week to find the body of Ariana Taylor.
The 23-year-old mother apparently walked away from a crash on I-65 on April 5. It was April 13 when authorities found her body in a drainage ditch roughly a mile away.
Lake County said she died of trauma from the crash with drowning playing a role.
Now, Prince has brought in state police to consult the Gary Police Department.
Indiana State Police Supt. Douglas Carter said one thing they'll bring is much-needed resources, saying every police department is struggling.
"It's really, really ugly out there, and collectively it's amazing what we'll be able to accomplish," Carter said.
Prince assured residents that the partnership with ISP would not lead to over-policing.
"Let's be clear, no one should expect to see troopers running up and down street arresting folks and giving tickets, an exercise that occurred some years ago in 1995. This is not that. This is an attempt to take a deep, holistic look at our operations in the police department, come up with plan and to implement that plan," Prince said.
Gary police are also searching for a new police chief now.
Brian Evans moved into that role on an interim basis about 2 years ago. He'll stay on to help find a new chief.