skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump marks first 100 days in office in campaign mode, focused on grudges and grievances; Maine's Rep. Pingree focuses on farm resilience as USDA cuts funding; AZ protesters plan May Day rally against Trump administration; Proposed Medicaid cuts could threaten GA families' health, stability.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump marks first 100 days of his second term. GOP leaders praise the administration's immigration agenda, and small businesses worry about the impacts of tariffs as 90-day pause ends.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Migration to rural America increased for the fourth year, technological gaps handicap rural hospitals and erode patient care, and doctors are needed to keep the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians healthy and align with spiritual principles.

Indiana's justice journey of reform, reflection

play audio
Play

Wednesday, December 4, 2024   

By Dakarai Turner for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration


Doug Carter, the superintendent of the Indiana State Police, is just days away from stepping down after leading the state’s largest police force for over a decade.

As his tenure comes to a close, Carter reflected on a career that has spanned four decades, marked by both personal and professional challenges, triumphs and tragedies.

Carter’s journey in law enforcement began in 1984. He rose through the ranks to become Indiana’s top cop in 2013.

His leadership over the state police has seen him through numerous high-profile cases and incidents, but also through grief and heartache. Carter will retire as Gov.-elect Mike Braun assumes office in January.

Carter said, “It’s been my life. I remember when I called my dad and told him I had an interview with (former governor) Mike Pence for this position.”

Carter served two governors, navigating through turbulent times, including the loss of five law enforcement officers on duty within the first six months of 2023. Among them: troopers James Bailey and Aaron Smith.

Carter was tasked with the somber duty of presenting the American flags draped over their caskets to their grieving families.

Carter also led the state police during some of Indiana’s most heartbreaking and unresolved cases, such as the 2016 deaths of four young Black girls in Flora, killed in an arson that remains unsolved. Despite the challenges of the investigation, Carter maintains hope.

“People talk about a cold case, but as long as people are alive, it’s not cold,” he said, adding that he believes the fire may not have been an intentional murder.

Another case that Carter thinks about is the 2017 murders of two teenage girls, Abby Williams and Libby German, in Delphi. The murders shocked the state and launched a yearslong search for the killer, who was convicted earlier this month.

While the Delphi Murders case was not directly handled by the state police, Carter often found himself in the public eye as the face of the investigation. A judge has a gag order in place until the convicted killer’s sentencing set for Dec. 20.

“I can’t think of a case in our history that has gained that much attention for that length of time,” Carter said.

Asked if he had run into “political influence” during any investigation, Carter said, “I would not be sitting here If I did. I would retire that day.”

A handwritten note that bears the names of the all six girls — Keyana, Keyara, Kerriele, Kionnie, Abby and Libby — sits on his desk, affixed to a rock he said was given to him by members of the Flora community after the fire there.

Carter’s leadership, he said, is also defined by his efforts to address policing reforms, particularly in the wake of high-profile deaths of Black men at the hands of law enforcement, most notably George Floyd in 2020.

“We’re a damaged profession, and it’s going to take time to climb out of that,” he said.

Carter said he believes conversations race and policing are essential to improving the culture of law enforcement.

Carter said the scrutiny on police forces is deserved.

Carter has also used his final years to push for changes within the department, including improvements in the state’s aviation unit and forensic laboratory systems, which had been operating out of outdated facilities.

However, he expressed regret about leaving behind a “broken” recruitment system.

“We have fewer troopers today than we had in 1984 when I started,” Carter said. “And that’s one of my biggest regrets.”

As Carter prepares for retirement, he envisions a quieter life, perhaps carving wood in the comfort of his home, he said.

Before he leaves, Carter has a message for his successor.

“Always care about others, not yourself,” he said. “That’s the most important thing I would say.”


Dakarai Turner wrote this article for WISH-TV.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
In Illinois, counties cover the operational costs of juvenile detention centers, while the state reimburses for staffing at more than $40 million per year. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Two bills aimed at reforming the juvenile justice system in Illinois are close to becoming law. Senate Bill 1784 proposes raising the age of …


Social Issues

play sound

The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston is one of many historic and cultural institutions across the nation to lose access to federal funding…

Social Issues

play sound

New national rankings out this week show South Dakota jumped a few spots higher in teacher pay for each state. However, there are questions about …


Social Issues

play sound

Wyoming labor unions will gather Thursday in Casper in honor of May Day, a holiday celebrated in 80 countries commemorating the labor movement and …

Healthy School Meals for All serves up more than 600,000 meals every school day in Colorado, regardless of a student's ability to pay. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As Colorado lawmakers grapple with $1.2 billion in budget cuts, child nutrition advocates are turning to voters to protect funding for the state's …

Environment

play sound

A pair of new reports shows Ohio communities are quietly leading the way on clean energy, from urban centers to small towns, with solar power playing …

Environment

play sound

By Seth Millstein for Sentient.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collabor…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021