Indianapolis police chief steps down after mishandling of David Bisard case

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Indianapolis Police Chief Paul Ciesielski is stepping down after the mishandling of the Officer David Bisard case.

An acting chief has been named and the city of Indianapolis has requested the FBI’s assistance in investigating the mishandling of the case.

Bisard has been on paid leave while his complicated case works its way through the court system. He’s accused of drinking on the job when he plowed into motorcyclists in August 2010 . Eric Wells died in the accident. Kurt Weekly and Mary Mills were seriously injured as a result of the crash.

What happened

Director of Public Safety Frank Straub said in early November, a vial of Bisard’s blood was transferred to the property annex room, which is not refrigerated to keep the blood at the proper temperature. The mishandling of the blood was uncovered on Monday, and Chief Ciesielski resigned Tuesday morning but will stay within the department.

The Marion County prosecutor's office discovered the issue while moving forward to test the second vial of blood. A judge granted permission for the testing last week .

"We are currently working with an independent lab to clarify the implications of testing the blood from the second vial, and do not yet know if or how the blood was affected," Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said in a prepared statement. "We do not know the events that transpired causing Officer Bisard’s blood to be moved while in IMPD’s custody, and we are exceedingly concerned that it occurred."

Curry met with victims in the case to inform them of what happened.

Next steps

The FBI will work with the Professional Standards Division in investigating and to “uncover the truth,” Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard said.

Valerie Cunningham and a detective have both been placed on administrative leave as a result of the discovery of the mishandled evidence. Rick Hite has been appointed interim police chief while the investigation continues.

Strong reaction from mayor, director of public safety

Ballard said he is “angry and disgusted” and apologized to victims.

“At best, this matter shows gross incompetence,” Ballard said. “And at worst … possible criminal intent.”

Ballard said the news rocks the public's confidence in the department.

"It’s going to take time (to restore confidence), no question," Ballard said. "If I was looking from the outside, it doesn’t look very good."

Straub stressed the importance of moving the department forward and not having continual issues.

“These types of incidences have to stop happening,” Straub said.

He said people have been aware of officers with drinking problems and going to strip clubs. Recent arrests resulted in some of those cases.

"We didn't hold ourselves or those officers accountable," Straub said.

Background of the case

Bisard's blood tests have been a center of controversy from the beginning. Although the first vial of blood tested with a blood-alcohol content of .19, the test and drunken driving charges were thrown out because a judge ruled the technician wasn't qualified to draw Bisard's blood.

Even earlier in Bisard's case, then-Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi dropped felony, alcohol-related charges against Bisard because of the blood tests. New prosecutor Curry re-filed charges using the blood evidence when he was elected.

Ciesielski's history with IMPD

Ciesielski was announced as the new chief of IMPD in February 2010 . At the time, he was IMPD's northwest district commander.

He began with the department in 1986 and is an FBI academy graduate. He replaced Michael Spears.