Indianapolis FOP endorses Republican Cyndi Carrasco for Marion County prosecutor

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police announced on Thursday the candidate they are backing in the race for Marion County prosecutor.

FOP President Rick Snyder says the organization will back Cyndi Carrasco, a Republican.

Carrasco was appointed as the state’s Inspector General in 2015 under then-governor Mike Pence and, more recently, served as Deputy General Counsel and Ethics Officer to Gov. Eric Holcomb.

She will face incumbent Ryan Mears, a Democrat, in November.

Snyder and the FOP have been critical of Mears on the issue of inmates released on bail.

“He is proactively taking steps to create a bad relationship with law enforcement,” Snyder said. “I think the question for voters in Indianapolis is, why would he do that? Why would anyone seeking that office intentionally try to create an adversarial relationship with police?”

Mears released a statement following the endorsement announcement, saying his office took a pledge not to accept police union endorsements or contributions:

“The Mears for Indy campaign reaffirms our pledge to the Indianapolis community to reject campaign contributions and endorsements from law enforcement unions. In July of 2020, we signed a pledge to reject any contributions from police unions as prosecutors being on the “political payroll” of police unions is inappropriate and unethical. The prosecutor’s office must remain independent from police.”