SEYMOUR, Ind. (WDRB) -- Police in Seymour are making sweeping changes, including efforts to be more transparent, after two top department officials were arrested.
"It's a whole new atmosphere here," said Seymour Officer Craig Owens. "We just want to build the trust with the city."
This week, Indiana State Police arrested some of the department's top brass. Former Police Chief Bill Abbott and Capt. Carl Lamb were arrested on charges of misconduct, ghost employment and theft.
ISP, which started investigating in October, said the two men both worked side jobs while on duty.
ISP said Abbott, while on the clock at Seymour PD, would schedule off-duty officers to work at a medical center. Lamb is accused of working for a security firm and for his training company while clocking hours with the police department.
Owens said, "You can't hold accountable the entire department for what a few people do or don't do."
Before news of the arrests surfaced, the department was working on changes to its internal structures, he said, and that work is continuing.
Seymour's new police chief, Bryant Lucas, is reviewing every aspect of the department, which includes more accountability in its policies and procedures, Owens said.
"We want to make sure we're being more transparent with the things that we're doing," he said. "We're going to make sure that the (policies) that are in the books are being followed, as well as ones needing restructured or rewritten."
Officers are also ramping up efforts to be more involved with the community, including involvement with local boards, schools and social media efforts, he said.
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