Plainfield officer reinstated after 'white male privilege' remarks

A Plainfield police officer put on administrative leave after telling a colleague during transgender sensitivity training that his law enforcement experience was shaped by "white male privilege" was reinstated Thursday night.

Capt. Carri Weber was placed on administrative leave not long after she made the remarks on Nov. 1, according to Deputy Town Manager Tony Perona. This was the third instance in four months of her behavior drawing scrutiny from her supervisors.

Weber was expected to appear before the Board of Police Commissions Thursday night as commission members considered potential discipline.

Members of the commission began the meeting shortly after 6 p.m. before excusing themselves to another room to hold an executive session. 

A statement released after the session said she would be reinstated to her current position. She also was reprimanded.

Indianapolis social justice advocates had questioned why the officer should be disciplined. 

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Satchuel Cole, vice president of social-justice advocacy organization DONT SLEEP, said a decision to discipline Weber would send a message that officers cannot bring up conversations about race. 

"They’re cultivating this culture within their police department that you will be penalized if you acknowledge white privilege when another officer might not be recognizing their white privilege," she said. "So if we’re going to penalize officers for trying to be progressive, that’s a serious issue.”

Speaking before the meeting, Cole said she and members of DONT SLEEP planned to attend Thursday night's meeting in an effort to show the department that its officers need to confront their own racial biases. 

"Every single person has racial bias," she said. "But if we confront that bias, learn about that bias, we can then overcome that bias. And the longer the police departments continue to say that they do not have any bias, the longer they will continue to police those who they are biased against more carefully and more intensely than they will police those who they are not biased against."

IndyStar has been unable to reach Weber for comment.

The colleague to whom Weber directed her controversial comment, Capt. Scott Arndt, served a two-day suspension after his outburst condemning the remark amid a training room full of federal law enforcement officials, colleagues and town and school representatives.

The town provided a video of the incident to IndyStar.

In the video, Arndt is heard asking for clarity on statistics cited by trainers because they did not reflect what he has experienced during his career in law enforcement.

Weber responded that he would not understand because of his "white male privilege."

Arndt took offense and demanded that police Chief Darel Krieger do something.

"I'm asking a legitimate question here," Arndt said, his voice rising, "and I'm getting (inaudible) white privilege? Are you serious? I find that extremely offensive."

Arndt left the training after the outburst.

He later filed a complaint, saying he was "racially and sexistly slurred" by Weber, according to documents filed with the town and provided to IndyStar.

Weber's comments during the training was the latest incident that drew scrutiny from her supervisors, according to the personnel records obtained by IndyStar.

In September, according to the documents, Weber received verbal counseling for comments at a firearms range in which she said "I need to get out of here as soon as possible before one of these (expletive) shoots me in the back."

In August, she was suspended for 10 days without pay after she drove her department-issued squad car within eight hours of drinking alcohol, according to the documents.

Call IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2701. Follow him on Twitter: @VicRyc.

Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.