Lawrence plans to implement a community-led critical response team this summer.
The team will consist of two community members from each of Lawrence’s eight neighborhoods. The team members will be trained to assist in critical situations, a term that’s still being defined.
Lawrence Police Department Chief Curtis Bigsbee said details of what the team’s assistance will look like are still being figured out. Bigsbee said once the critical response team is identified, members will establish protocols to determine what counts as a critical incident. He said critical incidents will not be limited to the police department.
“We want this to be Lawrence-driven and by the residents of the city of Lawrence so they can put it together with the assistance of the police department and others,” Bigsbee said.
Bigsbee said the team will not act as a civilian oversight board, but as liaisons to the community in the event of a critical incident.
Mayor hopes for improved relations with community
The goal of the critical response team is to improve communication and transparency between residents and the police department, said Mayor Deb Whitfield.
“I am going to recognize that there are times when our public safety efforts may not have been as successful as we hope,” Whitfield said. “I’m not going to shy away from some of the events that have happened earlier this year, so the critical response team is going to help hold ourselves accountable and ensure that we engage with the community.”
In February, a video circulated on social media of an altercation between a Lawrence police officer and a man in a Walmart parking lot on Pendleton Pike. In the video, Officer Roberto Santiago is seen punching the man while attempting to detain him.
In a statement at the time of the incident, Whitfield said the officer had been placed on administrative leave and an investigation would be conducted. On May 27, Bigsbee told Mirror Indy Santiago “is still on administrative assignment. We don’t have any further updates regarding that case.”
A police shooting also gained widespread attention in March. Police released a video of body camera footage showing Lt. David Gordon driving with his knees while shooting a rifle at a fleeing suspect in December. When the chase ended, the suspect was killed in a shootout involving Gordon, another Lawrence officer and an IMPD officer.
Bigsbee told Mirror Indy the two Lawrence officers who were involved are back to work and an investigation remains ongoing.
“We are learning and understanding how the public views law enforcement and how law enforcement views the public and it may not be aligned,” Whitfield said. “The (critical response team) brings everyone to the table to be on one accord.”
Team member hopes for de-escalation, accountability
Steven Goodroad, president of the Traditions Neighborhood Association, will be a member of the team.
Goodroad agrees the team could help hold the police department accountable, and said there needs to be better de-escalation with both police and citizens during critical incidents. He’s a retired military officer who does defense contract work.
“I was an officer and one of the things we’re supposed to do is, when combat is over, shut it down, shut it off,” Goodroad said. “That’s always on leadership, so I’m glad to see that the mayor is doing this.”
He hopes the team can improve trust between residents and law enforcement.
“I know a lot of the police here,” Goodroad said. “I am hoping that the rest of our neighbors will start to trust the police more by seeing how we interact with them.
He said in order for the critical response team to work, there will need to be long-term commitment from the neighborhood members.
“People can’t be on it for a year and then move off of it,” Goodroad said. “Otherwise there won’t be trust from the citizens and neighborhoods we represent. I don’t think I would trust it if people were coming and going every year.”
The city hopes to launch the critical response team this summer.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian or on Bluesky @darianbenson.bsky.social.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
