INDIANAPOLIS -- The man recently appointed to lead the Indianapolis Metro Police Department will have to return to the training academy before taking the job.
Rick Hite was appointed to interim police chief on Tuesday after former Chief Paul Ciesielski's resignation following the mishandling of evidence in a high-profile case involving a suspended IMPD officer.
Hite previously worked with the Baltimore Police Department for 32 years and most recently worked as a consultant in Indianapolis. Despite his career experience, public safety officials said Hite is not certified to be a police officer in Indiana and therefore cannot be the acting police chief.
Because he isn't certified, Hite has no legal authority to enforce the laws of the state, RTV6's Rafael Sanchez reported.
Rusty Goodpaster with the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy said that it's possible for Hite to obtain a waiver instead of the certification, but he will still need to pass several tests involving criminal and traffic laws.
The tests are given at the academy and 75 percent is the minimum passing grade.
"It is required by statue that anybody that is going to serve as paid law enforcement has to be certified in order to perform these duties," Goodpaster said.
The ILEA is where IMPD will seek to get a waiver for the acting chief to bring him into compliance.
On the firing range, Hite must score a minimum of 192 points three consecutive times to pass his training and get his waiver, officials said.
"These are basic things, because they are relative to Indiana and we are going to make sure an officer knows from another state," Goodpaster said.
IMPD administrators said the entire process could take at least three months, since the required testing is not offered daily.
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