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According to a recent article in the Indianapolis newspaper the Indy Star, the city's Department of Public Safety will pay an outside agency $71,000 to investigate its own internal affairs investigators. According to the Indy Star article, Altegrity Security Consulting, of Falls Church, Virginia, will be handling the investigation into remarks from a member of a professional standards unit about two high-ranking Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers.
Altegrity also will evaluate the internal affairs division's overall performance.
Deputy Chief William Benjamin and Maj. Chris Boomershine have made allegations that an internal affairs investigator made a disparaging allegation about them that could damage their professional careers.
That's according to Indianapolis F.O.P. President William Owensby.
While the deal to hire the firm to conduct an independent investigation was being made, Maj. Boomershine was demoted from his rank as commander of the Southeast District and reassigned to the traffic branch of the Homeland Security Division.
Police Chief Paul Ciesielski would not go into details about the reason for the demotion when asked by Star reporters. He would only say that, "This was a management decision and had nothing to do with any investigation," in an email sent to reporters.
Owensby said the current investigation is not related to the probe of an altercation last year involving Benjamin, Boomershine and an Indiana State Police trooper.
FOP President Owensby would not say what remarks were made about Boomershine and Benjamin that would require an outside investigation. But the FOP considered it serious enough that it asked Public Safety Director Frank Straub to investigate.
"If true, it would have the potential to ruin their professional reputations," Owensby said in reference to the comments as opposed to their contents.
Straub decided that looking into claims that IA personnel made career-damaging comments about Benjamin and Boomershine would best be handled by the firm Altegrity Security Consulting - headed up by former NYPD and LAPD top cop William Bratton.
Straub is an acquaintance of Bratton's from his days working in New York and submitted a letter of recommendation from Bratton when seeking the Indianapolis job.
The move to hire such a prestigious out-of-state entity to handle the inquiry came as a surprise to Oswensby, the one who had asked for the investigation in the first place.
"We didn't ask them to go get anyone outside the state or spend any money on this," Owensby told the Star. "They could have used State Police or a retired investigator or any number of people here."
But City-County Council member Ben Hunter said the contract is being paid for out of the public safety department's professional services budget and doesn't need council approval.
The contract describes the query as "an investigation and review of actions taken by the (IMPD) Professional Standards Division Staff."
Alegrity also will provide "an audit and evaluation providing recommendations to further improve the PSD" and assess the Citizens Review Board.
Boomershine and Benjamin, the deputy chief of operations, were exonerated last December after an IMPD internal investigation of their actions in the August 2010 altercation with State Police Master Trooper Detective Wayne Billings.
According to police reports, Billings came to IMPD headquarters and confronted Benjamin about a personal matter. Boomershine and Benjamin detained Billings because they considered him a threat.
The case has generated two suits since.
Billings is suing Benjamin and Boomershine, alleging civil-rights violations; Boomershine and Benjamin are countersuing, alleging that their names and reputations have been damaged and their families and health have suffered.
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