Indianapolis, IN

IACS changes background check policy; deputy director calls old practice 'discriminatory'

Published

2 years ago

August 21, 2024

IACS changes background check policy; deputy director calls old practice 'discriminatory'

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Aug. 20 Indianapolis Animal Care Services Board Meeting was contentious.

The tension was caused by a policy change that prohibits adoption coordinators from running criminal background checks on potential adopters through MyCase, the statewide public court records database.

Kelly Diamond, IACS deputy director, said Tuesday the MyCase checks will not return and called the practice discriminatory.

“As far as the MyCase, It’s not coming back,” Diamond said. “Just by the mere fact that people of color are more likely to have records on there, that by itself is discrimination. It introduces biases for things that are not related to a person’s ability to be a good pet owner.”

Diamond refused two times to speak to News 8 in a one-on-one interview to clarify the old policy or provide additional context.

Two IACS employees were recently fired for going against this change, continuing to look, and in some cases, block adoptions from being approved based on the background checks.

News 8 first reported this story on Aug. 7.

Kylee Fox was the first woman to be fired. She said that, to her knowledge, the initial policy told employees to check every potential adopter for any of the following charges:

Animal cruelty charges within the last three years
Murder
Sex offenses
Domestic violence
Neglect of a dependent
Strangulation

She said she felt this put everyone on an equal playing field.

Fox admitted to checking potential pet adopters for a history of animal neglect and cruelty knowing it was against policy. She told News 8 she continued to do background checks after learning a couple with five animal cruelty or abandonment violations readopted their dog after IACS officials confiscated it.

“We expressed our concerns that we felt more like dog distributors because there’s no fees, there’s no background checks,” Fox said.

Makenna Chiddister is another IACS employee fired for checking MyCase, despite telling the shelter she didn’t break the policy.

“I did know Kylee was doing it. I do think it’s something we should do, but I personally didn’t check MyCase,” Chiddister said. “I was fired based on hearsay.”

The two want to see the policy reinstated.

Both of the women attended Tuesday night’s meeting, and many supporters joined them.

“These animals need to have better protection for them so I will continue to try and get this policy reinstated because the vast majority of the public wants it brought back,” Fox said.

Diamond told the crowd that IACS now instructs employees to use Chameleon before an adoption.

Chameleon is an internal Animal Care Services system. It covers Marion County, but only contains data that animal control officers input, according to Fox.

The MyCase system is statewide and has all criminal charges available.

Fox and Chiddister say they believe the policy was removed to help the shelter improve its “live release” numbers without considering if the adopters were fit to be pet owners.

IACS Board Member Chris Roberson also declined two interview requests after the meeting. News 8 was unable to speak to the other board members.

News 8 was unable to find the names or contact information of any of the board members online to contact them to gain further understanding of the policy and situation.

Source link

Indianapolis, IN

Where to find cooling stations in central Indiana

Published

1 hour ago

June 29, 2026

Press Room

Where to find cooling stations in central Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is under a heat advisory with temperatures in the 90s throughout the week.

Many cooling centers will open throughout the state for those that need to find relief from the heat. Hoosiers looking to find cooling centers in their area can contact Indiana 211. To learn more, call 211 or (866) 211-9966.

Avaliable cooling centers can also be found by clicking here.

Marion County

For those living in Indianapolis, Indy Parks has several cooling centers across the city.

Those Cooling Centers are:

Broad Ripple Park Family Center
Brookside Park Family Center
Christian Park Family Center
Frederick Douglass Park Family Center
Garfield Park Burrello Family Center
Krannert Park Family Center
Grassy Creek Environmental Education Center
Pride Park Family Center
Rhodius Park Family Center
Riverside Park Family Center
Stanley Strader Park Family Center
Washington Park Family Center
Windsor Park Family Center
Watkins Park Family Center
Thatcher Park Family Center

For addresses and hours of operations of these cooling centers, click here.

Beech Grove will also have two cooling Centers for residents starting Monday, June 29. Those hours and locations are:

Beech Grove Senior Center, 602 Main St
- 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday
Hornet Park Community Center, 5245 Hornet Ave
- 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday

Other Central Indiana Cooling Centers

For addresses and hour of operations of cooling centers below, click here.

Marion

St. Martin Community Center
Grant County Family YMCA
Grant County Rescue Mission

Kokomo

The Kokomo Rescue Mission
The Excel Center in Kokomo

Peru

Community Resource Center
Miami County Courthouse
Miami County Health Department
Miami County YMCA
Peru City Hall
Peru Public Library
Peru Schools Administration Building

Source link

Indianapolis, IN

Heat Advisory and Warning for central Indiana

Published

11 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Press Room

Heat Advisory and Warning for central Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — The National Weather Service out of Indianapolis has issued a Heat Advisory for all of Central Indiana and a High Heat Warning for parts of northern Indiana. The Advisory and Warning will go into effect at 12 PM on Monday and will run through 8 PM Thursday.

WRTV

A Heat Advisory means that temperatures in the 90s with dew points in the 70s, will lead to Heat Index values reaching 106. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses.

Stay cool:
Drink plenty of fluids, check up on relatives and neighbors, and stay in an air-conditioned room when possible. If outside for extended periods of time, make sure to take frequent breaks in the shade as much as you can.

Source link

Indianapolis, IN

Storms fade with dangerous heat building through midweek | June 27, 2026

Published

21 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Press Room

Storms fade with dangerous heat building through midweek | June 27, 2026

TODAY

Patchy fog early gives way to a partly sunny, warmer, and much less active day. Highs reach the mid to upper 80s, with a light south breeze around 5 mph. After the unsettled Saturday, this looks like a far more usable day for outdoor plans, with most of central Indiana staying dry from start to finish.

TONIGHT

Mostly clear early, then becoming partly to mostly cloudy toward daybreak. Lows hold in the low 70s, with a light south southeast breeze around 5 mph. Humidity stays elevated overnight, but quiet weather continues and there are no meaningful travel concerns.

TOMORROW

Mostly sunny and hot with highs pushing into the low 90s. A south southwest breeze around 5 to 10 mph keeps the air moving, but the bigger story is the heat and humidity building in. Heat index values around or above 100 are possible during the afternoon, so outdoor plans will need extra water and more breaks.

TOMORROW NIGHT

Mostly clear and warm, with lows around the mid 70s and a light south southwest breeze. There will be very little cooling after sunset, and the muggy feel hangs on through the night. Dry weather remains in place.

TUESDAY

Sunny and even hotter, with highs in the low to mid 90s and a light southwest breeze around 5 mph. This is another day where heat becomes the main impact, and it will not take long to feel it during the afternoon. Outdoor work and summer activities will need to be paced carefully.

TUESDAY NIGHT

Clear and warm again, with lows in the mid 70s and a light southwest wind. The air remains sticky overnight, and there is still no meaningful rain signal for Indianapolis.

WEDNESDAY

Mostly sunny and hot, with highs in the low to mid 90s. Wind stays light, becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Heat remains the main concern, and another uncomfortable summer afternoon is expected across central Indiana.

7 DAY FORECAST

After Saturday’s leftover storm chances fade away, the pattern flips quickly toward heat and humidity. Sunday looks quieter and warmer, then Monday through at least Wednesday trend hot with highs in the 90s and heat index values over 100 possible at times. Rain chances stay very low through midweek, with the next better opportunity for showers and storms showing up later Thursday into Friday. Overall, the bigger concern after tonight becomes summer heat rather than repeated storm chances.

Source link