Republicans push to give civilians less power on Indianapolis police board

Indianapolis City-County Council Democrats on Aug. 27 rebuffed their Republican colleagues' attempt to weaken a pandemic-era reform that gives civilians more of a say in police practices, a policy that opponents fear undermines the police chief.

Council Republicans wanted to strip power from the Generals Order Board , the civilian-majority group that sets best practices for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Their proposal would have made the board's decisions non-binding recommendations instead of directives that officers must follow under threat of disciplinary action.