Former Indiana cop who abused teen faces decertification after post investigation

The state's law enforcement training board, which can act on its own after learning of cases like Barber's, voted to move forward with the decertification process Monday, less than a week after the Post's investigation was published. The Indiana Law Enforcement Academy will now send a letter informing Barber that he is entitled to a hearing or can voluntarily give up his certification.

When asked why the police department did not seek Barber's revocation, South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski responded in an email: “Decertification is state law “. He declined to answer further questions about the case, citing pending litigation.

South Bend officials did not fire Barber after he was convicted, as the police department promised on Facebook when Barber has been arrested.

Instead, Barber said in an April phone interview with The Post, he received a call from the city telling him to resign or he would have to submit to an internal affairs investigation.

Barber submitted a letter of resignation in September 2022, days after he was sentenced to probation rather than prison by a South Bend judge, who told him, “I'll give you a break.”

Barber's victim, who The Post identifies by her middle name, Anne, said she was once again disappointed in South Bend officials after learning they never sought Barber's decertification.

“Honestly, I feel like the city of South Bend doesn't care about assault victims and just wants to cover things up,” Anne said. “It upsets me and makes me feel like the justice system has failed me again.”

Barber could not be reached for comment on the decertification efforts. Raquel Ramirez, an attorney for the state agency, said the decertification process could take several months. There is nothing in the law that penalizes police departments, such as South Bend, for failing to notify the state of Barber's criminal convictions.

Law enforcement agencies are required to alert the state when officers leave a department and provide an explanation for their departure. South Bend officials noted in records that Barber resigned after being charged and convicted of a crime in Indiana, but provided no details or reports that he should be stripped of his certification.

Some states, including Indiana, publish the names of decertified officers to prevent them from being hired by other departments. Brian Grisham, deputy director of the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, said the success of decertification systems depends heavily on self-reporting by enforcement agencies. the law.

“This is an area that could be strengthened uniformly, because there would be repercussions if you are not completely transparent or truthful about the reason for the separation,” Grisham said.

The Post's investigation, Abused by the Badge, found that over the past two decades, hundreds of law enforcement officers in the United States sexually abused children, while officials at all levels of the criminal justice system have failed to protect children, punish abusers and prevent abuse. additional crimes.

Journalists have identified at least 1,200 police officers convicted of charges related to child sexual abuse between 2005 and 2020. Nearly 40% of those convicted officers were not sentenced to prison.

In Indiana, Anne was a 16-year-old high school student when she met Barber in the summer of 2021 while working at her first job at Chick-fil-A. The 36-year-old police officer knew that Anne wanted to become a police officer and offered to drive her home in his patrol car. He sexually abused her there multiple times, according to police and court records, and later admitted to sending her more than 1,300 messages in less than three months from his work laptop.

Barber faced up to 18.5 years in prison.

Prosecutors reached a plea deal with Barber that limited his maximum sentence to four years and agreed to remain silent about how and where the officer should serve his sentence. Barber's own lawyer had recommended home detention as a condition of probation, but the judge, Jeffrey Sanford, opted only for probation after expressing concerns about the officer's safety behind bars.

“You would be in danger the entire time you were there,” Sanford said. “You may not even get out of prison. »

Sanford, who represented the city of South Bend as an assistant district attorney and defended police accused of misconduct, refused to release an audio recording of the sentencing hearing and later did not answer questions about his management of the business. In a written transcript obtained by The Post, Sanford compared Barber's crimes to “hitting a 16-year-old.”

Without the revocation of his police certificate, Barber could have been hired by another police department. The Post's investigation identified police officers across the country who had been accused — or sometimes convicted — of child abuse, domestic violence and other serious crimes, but were nonetheless hired by police departments. They were later charged with other crimes against children.

When interviewed by The Post in April, Barber said he currently works in construction. He admitted to committing a crime and said he understands that some people, including the victim, believe he should have received a harsher punishment.

“Things could have gotten worse. I could have been in jail and gotten out, ended up on the streets, never finding a job,” Barber said.

He said he now spends most of his free time at church or at home, raising chickens and bees with his family.

“It’s been good for me. I know people don't want to hear that. They want to know that I’m probably in pain or torture,” Barber said. “But I’m very happy and I’m very lucky.”

Anne, meanwhile, said she continues her fight for accountability. She filed a lawsuit against Barber and the city of South Bend, saying they should be held responsible for what happened to her in Barber's patrol car.

In court records, the city denied “failing to investigate, discipline or hold accountable its police officers, whether on or off duty.” South Bend also claimed that it was not directly responsible for Barber's harm to Anne.

The teen is also seeking a federal criminal investigation into Barber's conduct, according to a letter her attorney sent in March to the Justice Department. If the agency agrees, Barber could face federal charges and risk being sent to prison again.

Citing department policy, Clifford Johnson, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, declined to say whether the Justice Department would open an investigation.