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Former Merit Board members talks about the process in the Aaron Bailey case

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Monday, IMPD Chief Bryan Roach recommended the termination of IMPD Officers Carlton Howard and Michel Dinnsen.

The two officers were criminally cleared in the deadly shooting of an unarmed Aaron Bailey.

However, in a statement Roach expressed his thoughts in the use of deadly force in Bailey’s case “rises to a level so far removed from accepted professional practice and community expectation that it severely damages public trust of its police department.”

Roach’s recommendations will now be sent to the Police Merit Board. The board consists of seven members. Some are appointed by Mayor Joe Hogsett, some by the police union, and others by the city-county council.

According to the city, the Police Merit Board establishes rules and regulations for the department, and develops classifications, ranks, grades and positions of members of IMPD.

Mayor Greg Ballard appointed James Jackson to the board. Jackson sat on the board for four years. He explained what the process may look like for board in the cases of Officer Howard and Officer Dinnsen.

“They will bring in witnesses and review all the facts, the merit board will have to sit through hours of listening to the facts of the case, several others will have to take the witness stand,” said Jackson.

In the end the majority vote will govern the final decision in each individual case.

“At times we thought officers should be terminated, but not all of us, it comes down to the vote, when everything is heard each merit board member has a vote they will make a decision based on the facts,” said Jackson.

The Police Merit Board met Tuesday afternoon, but Officer Carlton Howard and Officer Michael Dinnsen’s hearing is currently not schedule on the agenda.

A timetable has not been released on when the board will review Chief Roach’s recommendation.