Warsaw Police Chief's request denied at city council; Avoids questions from ABC57
WARSAW, Ind. --- At a Warsaw city council meeting Tuesday Police Chief Scott Whitaker asked the council to reallocate funds to get the Warsaw Police department-issued cell phones, instead of using their personal phones on duty.
The council challenged the chief on the current issues with the use of personal phones and Whitaker said that officers have not been accepting a stipend for the last 6 months because they don’t want to use their personal phones on duty.
“We’re not asking for more money, just to move it,” Whitaker said. “I can tell you that every officer I’ve spoke with this is their desire to have a phone that they can use while on duty. The stipend requires you actually have to sign an agreement obviously for FOIA request and that type of thing. Obviously, officers don’t want to submit their personal phones to be subject to that.”
The council was silent when asked to second the motion.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer was asked after the meeting why he thinks the chief’s request fell flat.
“Some departments have one phone, two, use stipends and then there’s the issues of them not wanting to use those stipends and it’s not an easy issue and I think the council just wanted more clarity.
ABC57 also asked Thallemer if he thinks the chief being under investigation by the Indiana State Police had any influence on the council.
“The investigation is being completed by Indiana State Police, so I’m not sure wat that had to do with it. I think that they expressed they were concerned about the details from this and that’s what I take from it.”
Indiana State Police did not find any evidence of a crime after reviewing the incident involving the chief and that elderly couple in early January. The city has also decided not to pursue an internal review of the department.