In early December, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Bryan Roach would retire at the end of the year.
Roach began his tenure as chief of police when Hogsett appointed him in January 2017. The move meant Roach had held every rank during his 28-year career with the department, which started in 1991 as a patrol officer.
“The citizens of Indianapolis have always been invested in and supportive of their police department,” Roach said in a statement. “The impact of this support has been immeasurable in my life and career, and I cannot begin to thank you all enough. Your kind words, deeds, and advice allowed me to be a better Chief.”
Roach took over as chief of police following an abrupt retirement from Troy Riggs in 2016.
The task would be difficult. Indianapolis is smaller than Chicago and Detroit and didn’t have the same national reputation as a violent and dangerous city, but fatal police shootings and record homicide numbers would have supported the argument.
Roach faced perhaps the toughest test of his time as chief just six months into his tenure, when two IMPD officers shot and killed 45-year-old Aaron Bailey in June 2017 following a traffic stop in the middle of the night. The officers said they thought Bailey reached for a weapon, but no weapon was found.
Roach said he didn’t believe the shooting was justified and suspended the officers without pay. He recommended their termination to the civilian merit board, but the board said the officers didn’t violate department policies.
He also recommended the termination of an officer who punched a 17-year-old boy at Shortridge High School in September.
Black residents in Indianapolis had reason to be upset with the police department, but there’s also been a sense that Roach wasn’t conducting business as usual when he took stands against his officers.
Roach also helped oversee IMPD’s return to smaller beats for officers, which ideally allows them to get more comfortable with the community — and vice versa.
There will likely be some pressure on Hogsett to appoint a Black chief of police when the time comes.
The African American Coalition of Indianapolis recently made a list of its preferred criteria for the next chief, including having a “commitment to racial, ethnic and gender diversity in recruitment, hiring, promotions and professional development opportunities.”
Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.
IMPD Chief Bryan Roach
