By Isaac Gleitz
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Dr. Woody Myers has released a criminal justice reform that bans chokeholds, sends complaints about police misconduct to an independent oversight board and seeks mental health treatment for those in need.

The Democratic candidate for governor said his plan would restructure the criminal justice system by shifting some resources to community needs like homelessness and expanding treatment options for mental illness and addiction.

“There’s a lot of overlap as well between homeless, substance abuse, and mentally ill. It’s not complete. It’s not everyone, but there is a lot of overlap,” Myers said. He added that there is a “clear, unambiguous link” between incarcerated persons and drug users and treatment is what’s needed to break down the bond, rather than imprisonment.

Myers’ proposed reforms address many of the issues raised in the aftermath of local and nationwide protests against police brutality following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who was killed when an officer held a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. That officer has been fired and now faces a murder charge.

“I think visualizing it for yourself, and having it on TV, the internet and social media has changed the whole landscape of how we look at acts that are rooted in racism,” Myers said of Floyd’s death. “Now what’s happening is that a younger generation is being exposed to it in a very stark, brutal way.”

His plan calls for an expansion of implicit bias, dispute resolution and de-escalation training for police while prohibiting the use of chokeholds and other practices deemed to be excessive force. He would also improve protections for police officers who report misconduct by fellow officers.

Myers said the state should create a  public database housing citizens’ complaints and officer discipline records to improve accountability and transparency. He also proposes local and state criminal justice commissions, composed of officers and volunteers from the public, and a requirement for independent investigations of police misconduct.

“People don’t become law enforcement officers to brutalize other people. People become law enforcement officers primarily because they want to help their community,” Myers said, adding he believes many officers would welcome the change because it would allow them to do their jobs better.

One Indiana police chief, Tim Miller of Salem, said that training can’t prepare an officer for everything. His officers undergo training every year, often dealing with de-escalation, he said.

“I’m all for training like that. The more options that an officer has out on the street, the better off they’ll be,” Miller said.

Miller said he and his team try to get out into the community, so they know the people they serve and their needs. They oversaw peaceful protests in his town.

Myers said that protests are leading in the direction of the changes he is seeking, but he’ll only get his chance if he’s elected governor.

Myers and his running mate, Linda Lawson, a former Hammond police officer, are challenging incumbent Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch.

Holcomb’s press secretary answered a request to interview the governor with a referral to public statements he has made on the issue. Holcomb has said that what happened to Floyd should never happen again and the man’s death has forced a reckoning on racial equality.

FOOTNOTE: Isaac Gleitz is a reporter with TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.