Nov 17, 2009 11:24 am US/Central
Gary Mayor Fires Police Chief
Clay Refuses To Explain Abrupt Move, Will Put Replacement Process 'On The Fast Track'
GARY, Ind. (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
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Gary Mayor Rudy Clay abruptly fired the city's police chief without explanation and has said hiring a replacement will be put "on the fast track."
CBS
Gary, Ind. Mayor Rudy Clay abruptly fired Police Chief Reginald Harris on Monday afternoon and left the office of his city's top cop temporarily vacant.
Officers and employees at the Gary Police Department are now being told to report to Deputy Chief Gary Carter. Clay said the process of choosing a new chief will be "on the fast track." Harris was the seventh man to hold the job since April 2006, when Clay took office.
"We can't go too long without a police chief," Clay said.
The mayor refused to cite a specific reason for Harris' removal, insisting it is in the "best interest of the community for us to move on."
"All I'm going to say is that, hey, Reggie Harris is a good police officer, a good person, and we're moving on," Clay said.
Harris, who said he will return to his rank as lieutenant, said he had no hard feelings about the mayor's decision.
"I'm at the will of the mayor," Harris said. "His choice is not to be questioned by me. I'm a city employee and I'm happy for the opportunity."
Clay has been paying more attention to his police department after 12 people lost their lives to violence in October in Gary. He has been to several roll calls and he joined officers for a nighttime patrol one week ago. At a news conference earlier this month, Clay promised to get personally involved in the reduction of crime in Gary.
Harris, a 23-year veteran of the department, said he was proud of his 15-month tenure as chief, given the circumstances. All city departments have been under financial constraints as tax revenue continues to disappear at City Hall.
"When the stats are looked at, I probably did as well as can be expected," Harris said.
Del Stout, president of the Gary Fraternal Order of Police, said officers have heard rumors that Harris would be removed for three or four weeks, but never heard why.
"I think it's always good for us to have stability," Stout said. "As far as the day-to-day stuff that we do as police, whoever the chief is, our jobs are still the same."
Stout said Harris worked well with the FOP. He was the Clay administration's longest-serving chief so far.
"He seemed like he was always trying to keep us in the loop," Stout said.
Clay appointed Harris to the chief's office in August 2008, five months after Gary Police Chief Thomas Houston was indicted for civil rights violations. Lawrence Wright served as interim police chief after Houston's indictment. Houston was later convicted.
Carter, now effectively the leader of the Gary Police Department, was appointed deputy chief by Harris in January. A Wirt High School graduate, Carter studied criminal justice at Indiana State University. In 1990 he took a job as a correctional officer in the city jail.
--Post-Tribune
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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