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Feb
22
The Gary FOP has sent letters to Lake and Porter County police departments warning officers to “not assume (Gary Reserve officers) can be trusted,” writes Post-Tribune reporter Lori Caldwell.
The Gary Reserve officers are supervised by the mayor’s office and “are not required to answer to any police officials on a regular basis,” according to the FOP, reports the Post-Tribune.
A strongly worded letter from the Gary Fraternal Order of Police to police agencies in Lake and Porter counties warns officers to use caution around Gary’s reserve officers and “not assume they can be trusted.”
After months of internal struggle between sworn officers and reserves, FOP Lodge 61 chose to make its position public because the city failed to address the issues, FOP President Del Stout said.
“For officer safety reasons, we are asking that you please pass this information on to your officers,” the letter, signed by Stout and Vice-President Dave Saviola, states. …
Two Gary reserves have been indicted in federal court, another was shot to death at a Hammond firing range by a reserve last year. Others have criminal backgrounds and have failed to passed firearms tests.
Comments
5 Responses to “Gary FOP Sounds Warning About Reserve Officers”
Several sworn Gary PD officers – that is, real police officers who take their jobs seriously – have related to me that the reserve force is becoming a political brownshirt army for the mayor’s cronies. This will get uglier.
Hi Area 45,
It’s never a good thing when the FOP — the good guys — sound a warning like they did.
Like the military, the police should be above political influences.
Reserve Police Officers are very much real police officers, they just volunteer their time to help, which to me is more noble than paid officers. Now I have no idea what is occurring in this instance, but don’t stereotype all reserves as bad guys.
Hi Anonymous,
Thanks for sharing. I agree that most reserve police officers are great people. However, they should be under the control of the police department, rather than a municipal executive.
I think the whole thing about the reserves were stretched a little to far.Many sworn officer’s done a lot worse but no one says anything about it.Even some incidents with regular officers were swept under the rug.
There are experienced reserve officers that
are still employed and are doing a great job
to the citizens of gary,in.To write a letter
and send to other departments only put gary reserve officers in harms way.regular and reserves can work together in keeping the city safe.The city of gary doesn’t want reserves treated as filthy rags by other police departments its a lawsuit waiting to happen think about it closely.
CMAN10