IMPD Northwest District Has Open HouseIndianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Northwest District is a one-stop shop for crime fighting resources. The department opened its doors to the public March 1 for an open house located at 3821 Industrial Boulevard. The Northwest district is a direct result of the merger between the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and Indianapolis Police Department. This sixth new district required finding office space. The former Patrick Racing facility provided the bay space necessary to house the SWAT and bomb squad equipment. The interstate access makes the site practical because these units serve the entire county. The commanders of the K-9, horse patrol and helicopter divisions also occupy office space. The public also had a chance to observe 49 motorcycles that are used by traffic officers. Lt Valerie Cunningham is the only female supervisor in the motorcycle division. Cunningham and the other officers had to endure 80 hours of training to qualify for the unit. The 850-pound bike requires physical strength to maneuver. The officers have to be able to skillfully maneuver their bikes around cones and accomplish other skill drills within a timed course event. Much of the training is defensive because drivers don’t always see motorcyclists due to blind spots that impair vision. Cunningham had to let the bike go down one time to prevent a car from T-boning her. She said the biggest problem that most people are not aware of is that a motor officer can become dehydrated. Dehydration can happen quickly in the summer because the bikes are radiating 300 degrees coupled with the hot asphalt. She noted that many of the motorcycles are 2001 and 2003 models that have the custom blue paint called Indy Blue. This customize paint should add value to the cycles for trade-in deals. Sgt. Ron Humbert discussed some bomb squad training drills that includes practicing with the two robots and wearing 90 lb protective blast gear. This month they will train at the city–county building using the stairs while wearing the protective gear. Humbert said the suit should be able to protect the officers from a five-pound blast in an open area. The division is capable of transporting bombs by using a total containment vessel. “There are only 12 of these in the nation,” Humbert said. The open house also provided a chance for Major Paul Ciesielski to praise SWAT Officer Eric Moncrief. He was named officer of the month for stopping a suspicious vehicle that turned out to be carrying stolen car stereos and shotgun shells. Not only did Moncrief arrest the two suspects, he retraced the van’s route and recovered a sawed off shotgun that had been tossed by the suspects. . |
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