Indiana
Braun administration pushes to enhance National Guard’s policing role during riots
DeWine, Beshear talk government shutdown, national guard, more
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear discuss the current government shutdown, appropriate use of the national guard and more.
The Indiana National Guard wants to enhance some guardsmen’s role as police officers during times of civil unrest, as debates about the military’s role in policing play out nationwide amid President Trump’s deployment of federal forces in Democrat-led cities.
National Guard spokeswoman Lauren Houck confirmed the state is pushing a program that would offer Indiana law enforcement training to military police so those federal troops can “add value,” rather than merely add bodies, when working alongside local police during situations like the 2020 riots. Military police typically enforce federal laws on National Guard property, but governors can call guardsmen out to support local law enforcement and first responders during emergencies.
The Indiana National Guard approached Gov. Mike Braun’s office to make the request for the change. Houck would not say whether this training will give guardsmen broader authority to act as police in Indiana, enforcing local laws and making arrests, or if National Guard leadership just wants its troops to be better prepared for emergencies.
The news come days after IndyStar reported that Statehouse insiders are researching legislation that could grant more policing power to guardsmen in local jurisdictions. While some Republicans push for an expanded role for the National Guard, at least one Democratic lawmaker wary of military intervention in policing has filed legislation to restrict its power.
The new program would ultimately need to be approved by the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board, the body that creates training requirement for all Indiana police officers. The state’s basic training for new police officers requires more than 600 hours of coursework in criminal and traffic law, emergency vehicle operations, human behavior and de-escalation. It’s unclear how quickly the proposed program would train military police.
“These preliminary discussions have been about creating a fair and efficient process, while ensuring proper certifications and training are in place,” Houck said in a statement.
Houck said the new training has been discussed for months, but the need for it stems from the 2020 protests and riots that swept through Indiana cities after the police killing of George Floyd. At the time, Gov. Eric Holcomb stationed National Guard to defend state property, but their role in actively policing protesters was limited.
Braun said in a statement he supports the new training program because “law enforcement deserves every tool and partner they need to keep Hoosiers safe.”
Braun has so far declined to use the National Guard to intervene in local policing, even after violence in downtown Indianapolis this summer prompted calls by Republicans and the local police union for the state to step in.
But this week the governor showed his willingness to help the Trump administration by agreeing to deploy about 300 National Guard troops to Washington D.C. next month, after the president declared a public emergency over crime in the nation’s capital in August.
Meanwhile, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita earlier this month called for Trump to deploy National Guard troops to address crime in Indianapolis.
What Indiana law says about the National Guard
Trump’s National Guard deployments in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland have been stalled by lawsuits and court rulings, igniting a debate over whether the president is violating federal law that generally bars military troops from doing civilian law enforcement.
Indiana law gives the governor broad authority to call out guardsmen, who are part-time, ad-hoc military members, in extreme situations such as war, invasion, natural disaster and rioting. National Guard troops do not typically enforce local laws or make arrests but rather conduct patrols and provide logistical support to keep the peace.
During a state emergency, however, Indiana law does grant guardsmen some authority to disperse participants in an “unlawful assembly” and arrest those who refuse. Another portion allows guardsmen to arrest someone who knowingly or intentionally enters a street that the National Guard has closed off.
Even when a governor declares an emergency, local officials can challenge their deployment to cities. A Tennessee judge on Nov. 17 temporarily blocked the Republican governor’s deployment of the National Guard in Memphis, ruling that crime rates in the southern city were not a “grave emergency” or “disaster” warranting an emergency response.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has rejected the idea of National Guard intervention in local law enforcement. The mayor noted that criminal homicides and non-fatal shootings in Indianapolis have fallen by roughly 50% after they soared to record highs in 2021, according to IMPD data.
Democrat files legislation to restrict National Guard power
While some state Republicans seek to broaden the National Guard’s power, a state Democrat who works in law enforcement has filed legislation to restrict guardsmen’s ability to enforce laws and make arrests.
State Rep. Mitch Gore, D-Indianapolis, filed House Bill 1015 Nov. 18 to prevent the governor from ordering any National Guard member “to perform any law enforcement duty that may result in the surveillance, apprehension, detention, or arrest of an individual” without formally declaring a state of emergency for one of three situations: “a natural disaster, a riot, or an act of terrorism.”
A captain at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in his day job, Gore told IndyStar he sees a need for the bill because some Republican state lawmakers have asked his opinion on allowing National Guard troops to function as police officers.
House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, did not respond to a request for comment on his party’s position on enhancing the National Guard’s policing power.
Gore said federal intervention in policing undermines a community’s trust in local law enforcement. He called such action “fundamentally un-American,” invoking the longstanding belief that troops on American streets are a threat to democracy and personal liberty.
“As a cop, I know that it just a practically stupid thing to do to use the Guard in this way,” Gore said. “Modern policing relies ultimately upon a trusting relationship between the public and the police.”
He said deploying guardsmen to Indiana cities without a serious emergency “will make community members feel once again like colonists felt back in the 1700s: like they are subjects to be ruled over by force, rather than we are neighbors all trying to achieve the same goal.”
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
Indiana
Police shoots man armed with knife in Gary, Indiana, officials say
A man wielding a knife was shot by a police officer on Sunday in Gary, Indiana.
A spokesperson for the city said officers responded to the 2100 block of Tennessee Street for a call of a suicidal man who was armed with a knife in his hand. The man had already stabbed himself a couple of times before they arrived.
Officers found the man in the east alley of 22nd and Ohio. At this time, he was standing in the alley still with the knife in his hand and refused to drop it as ordered by officers. The man then started to advance toward the officer, who shot the man three times in the arm, the spokesperson said.
The officer notified the department that shots were fired, and the man was down. The condition of the man is unknown as of Sunday night.
Other officers responded to the scene to set up a perimeter around the area. The Gary Fire Department and Lake County Crime Scene Investigation personnel were also contacted.
No further information was immediately available.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
Indiana
50+ Indiana counties under travel advisories after snow storm. See map
Safety and preparation are the keys to staying safe this winter
Officials talk about winter preparedness, safety, tips. Safety and preparation are the keys. Here are some tips.
At least 50 Indiana counties are under a travel advisory, and 20 counties were issued a travel watch for Dec. 14, following an overnight snow storm.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) travel advisory map has each county shaded in red for a travel warning, orange for a travel watch, yellow for a travel advisory and gray for a county without an elevated status report on it’s current travel conditions.
Here’s how you can check your county to see where it lands on the map.
Travel advisory
According to DHS, a travel advisory is the lowest level of a related advisory.
“Routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation, and individuals should use caution or avoid those areas,” the department says on its website.
Watch advisory
According to DHS, a watch advisory is issued when conditions are threatening to a county’s safety.
“Only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies and other organizations,” the department’s website states.
Warning advisory
According to DHS, a warning advisory is the highest level of a related advisory, where people may be told not to travel at all.
“Travel may be restricted to emergency management workers only,” the department’s website states.
Here’s the winter weather info you need
🚨 Indiana Weather Alerts: Warnings, Watches and Advisories.
⚡ Indiana power outage map: How to check your status.
💻 Internet outages: How to track them.
🚫 What you should and shouldn’t do when the power is out.
🐶 Your neighbor left their pet outside. Who you should call.
Indianapolis weather radar
Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
Indiana
What Darian DeVries, Tucker DeVries Said After Indiana Basketball’s Loss at Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Indiana basketball coach Darian DeVries and senior forward Tucker DeVries met with reporters after the Hoosiers’ 72-60 loss to Kentucky on Saturday night at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
Here’s what the DeVries duo said during their near-seven-minute press conference.
Q: I guess, Darian, it’s sort of another night where it feels like it just kind of gets difficult to really break down an opponent off the dribble, kind of get that inside-out sort of paint touch to three looks you want, just like what, I guess, are you guys, what’s not happening there, what’s just kind of sort of failing at the source offensively when that’s not working?
DD: Yeah, I thought the first half, you know, we got some pretty good action, pretty good movement, I thought the second half, Kentucky certainly turned up the pressure and was able to get into us and we didn’t respond well enough and we turned the ball over too much and live ball turnovers against them are really hard because now they’re out in transition playing in space, so the turnovers and the offensive rebounding, I mean, that flipped the game around that second half.
Q: On Kentucky’s long run, what was the problem there?
Yeah, I thought the turnovers, it was a combination of things, I thought, you know, we left our feet a few times, I thought we just, you know, got on our heels a little bit and didn’t play as disciplined as we needed to, you know, as that, you know, the crowd got cranked up and things, that’s the time where you got to really dig in a little bit more, your screen’s got to be better, you got to play off of two feet more, and then the offensive rebounds, you know, they just went and got them and, you know, we didn’t do a good enough job of creating space and getting bodies and going and securing the ball.
Q: What do you think you need to improve on, the team needs to improve on against ball pressure at the point of attack?
DD: Yeah, the number one thing when you get at ball pressure is everything from an execution standpoint and a movement standpoint, it’s just got to be done with more force, you can’t continue just to get pushed out and everybody stands, so you have to find ways to give yourself up with a back hook, give yourself up with a screen, set up those screens with more force, you know, and get some movement to, you know, even as, you know, they had gotten ahead and we started to break it off a little bit, once we got movement again, we were able to get those clean looks or better looks, so it’s something we got to get better at, there’s no question.
Q: Tucker, your individual line tonight was really great, I mean, your effort was fantastic, 15 points, 7 rebounds, a lot of the three point shots tonight didn’t go down like they normally do for the Hoosiers, what do you think that is, was it just not seeing the basket as well, was it the defense, was it not in the offense where you were getting clean looks?
TUCKER DEVRIES: To be honest, making and missing shots, I thought tonight, honestly, wasn’t a problem, I know, certainly, I did not shoot it great, as a team we didn’t shoot that great either from three, but, you know, even with that being said, I think there were certainly areas that we needed to be a lot better at, as a group, and if we were able to, you know, especially in the second half, execute in those areas, I think that would have made up for some of those, you know, shooting habits and miscues, but, you know, making them missing shots sometimes is basketball, but I thought in the other areas, if we could just, you know, execute there a little bit.
Q: On that, if shots maybe weren’t the problem, what kind of was, do you think?
TUCKER: I mean, he hit on it pretty good, the turnovers and obviously the offensive rebounds they had, especially in the second half. I mean, I take full responsibility for both of those areas. Obviously, four turnovers is far too many. As a group, I think when they pick up the pressure, I think we just need to really focus on our execution a little bit more on every possession. But good thing is we get a good week here before we play again to really dial in on some of those areas that we’ve maybe lacked in the beginning.
Q: When Lamar picked up his fourth foul and missed nearly nine minutes, what went wrong offensively?
DD: Yeah, I don’t remember the exact sequences there, but, you know, not having Lamar out there is certainly a big part of our offense, and, you know, his foul trouble tonight certainly limited him with only the 21 minutes because he was, again, he’s, you know, a big focal piece of what we try to run our offense through, so, you know, I believe during that little stretch that he wasn’t out there, that’s when the turnovers started to happen and
we weren’t able to get into, you know, maybe some of our actions the way we needed to.
Q: Darian, you mentioned Kentucky’s offensive rebound and kind of flipping that game. Was that just their physicality, their effort out beating you guys or something else that you saw going on?
DD: Yeah, I thought their effort, their physicality in the second half was, you know, really good. I mean, they certainly cranked it up a notch in that second half and we needed to respond to it, but, you know, I thought their aggressiveness defensively, their aggressiveness in the offensive glass, you know, was ultimately the factor.
Q: Darian, you mentioned Lamar, but how much did the foul trouble for not just him, but other guys, affect you tonight?
DD: I mean, foul trouble is foul trouble. You have it every night, so you’ve got to figure out a way to deal with it and, you know, we just didn’t do a good enough job with that.
Q: Just to follow up on that, with this team, and you’ve talked about sort of where you are with the two bigs and things like that, like does foul trouble become sort of a compounding problem when it disrupts rotations? It felt tonight like maybe guys were just not either on the floor long enough to find the rhythm or maybe had to be on the floor too long because other guys were in foul trouble.
DD: Again, our guys, you know, their numbers are called, they’re ready to go. You know, certainly, you know, a guy like Lamar, you want him out there, but when he’s not out there, I feel very confident that the guys that are coming in are going to do their part and do their job and, you know, we certainly have a lot of faith in them, so, you know, unfortunately it just didn’t work out the way we wanted it to tonight.
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