INDIANAPOLIS — If a statehouse bill becomes law, people would be required to stand 25 feet away from a police officer if the office makes that request during an incident.
"I think that this does not help community and police relations," community advocate Wildstyle Pachall said.
He feels that House Bill 1186 will lead to officers not allowing citizens to film police interactions in public. It's something he says he experienced.
"That officer could have told me to get away from him and keep me even further back from being able to film what was going on during an encounter of three young Black men in my community," Pachall said.
A representative with the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police says the bill promotes officer safety and public safety.
"A lot of times when an officer will pull someone over or detain someone ... if that person has been in some sort of altercation with another individual, the individual that was in the initial fight will come back and try to fight this individual while the officer is present and that just can't happen," Edward Merchant said.
Those types of situations are why state representative Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) wrote the bill.
"Right now a law enforcement officer has to be touched in order to get somebody away from them and be able to deal with the situation and often times it escalates," McNamara told WRTV.
The bill is now headed to the Senate. If it passes, it will go to Gov. Eric Holcomb's desk.
-
Motorcyclist killed in Tippecanoe County
A motorcyclist is dead after being hit by a car Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of the new U.S. 231 and Veterans Memorial Parkway in Tippecanoe County, police say.
Brownsburg's Branden Sharpe excited to take talents to IU football
Brownsburg senior wide receiver Branden Sharpe is one of the most dynamic players in the state, and he's keeping his talents right here with a commitment to the Indiana Hoosiers.
Daniel Jones 'feels good' with recovery progress as Colts minicamp begins
The Indianapolis Colts kicked off mandatory minicamp over on Tuesday. Quarterback Daniel Jones' recovery from last year's Achilles injury is still on schedule, and he likes where he’s at right now.
Eiteljorg Museum receives gift for acquisitions, including a Chihuly sculpture
Ellen M. Reed, a longtime member of The Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, has donated $3.74 million to establish a new fund to purchase new acquisitions.
