Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has announced the appointment of three new individuals to the city’s Police Merit Board and the reappointment of one longtime board member. The four mayoral appointees will join two members elected by a majority vote of the active members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), and one member appointed by the City-County Council. The Police Merit Board works to establish rules and regulations for the police department; develops a classification of ranks, grades and positions for members of IMPD; and oversees the department’s merit system.
“The individuals I’ve selected for the Merit Board have important work to do – and I have the utmost confidence that their collective professional experience will allow them to serve our community well,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Our public safety professionals play a critical role in the well-being of our neighborhoods, and the Police Merit Board helps to increase transparency by offering a community voice to the decisions being made within the police department. The men and women I have appointed to serve on this board will take this responsibility seriously, working to ensure residents can feel confident in their personal safety and in the accountability of our criminal justice system.”
These are Mayor Hogsett’s first appointees to the Police Merit Board; the outgoing board members were named to their position under Mayor Greg Ballard’s administration. Merit Board members must reside in Marion County; no more than two mayoral appointees can belong to the same political party. The bipartisan, civilian board will serve a four-year term ending Dec. 31, 2022.
Dianna Ferguson-Mosley
Dianna Ferguson-Mosley’s career is highlighted by more than three decades of service with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. She retired in 2013 after serving an impressive 33 years with the department, where she held the rank of lieutenant and served as the section supervisor for IMPD’s organized crime section. During her tenure, she also supervised the homicide and robbery division and served in the department’s Internal Affairs division – the first African-American woman to ever serve in that role. Passionate about educating our youth, she currently teaches a criminal justice course at the Pike High School Career Center. Ferguson-Mosley received a degree in criminal justice from Oakland City University, and her Bachelor of Business Administration from Marian University.
Frank Sullivan, Jr.
Frank Sullivan, Jr., served 19 years as a Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from 1993 to 2012. During his tenure, Sullivan authored approximately 500 majority opinions addressing a wide range of criminal, civil and tax law issues. Following his service on the court, he became a professor at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and has recently been named an Indiana University Bicentennial Professor. Sullivan is also a member of the Christamore House Board of Directors, Indiana State Employees’ Appeals Commission and the Fifth Third Bank Central Indiana Advisory Board of Directors. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and holds law degrees from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and the University of Virginia School of Law.
Jennifer Drewry
Jennifer Drewry is currently vice president of governmental affairs and compliance for Sun King Brewing Company, serving as an advisor in all aspects of the alcoholic beverage industry and related governmental agency practices and procedures. After graduating from law school, Drewry served as a Federal Law Clerk for Judge Allen Sharp in the Northern District of Indiana. In January 2005, then-Governor Mitch Daniels appointed Drewry as the Broadband Executive and Administrative Prosecutor for the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. She maintained this position for nine years before working as an attorney in private practice for five years. Drewry received a Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University and a law degree from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Joseph Slash
Joseph Slash made history as Indianapolis’ first African-American deputy mayor, appointed by Mayor Bill Hudnut in 1978. He served on the mayor’s staff until 1989, before transitioning to vice president of Indianapolis Power and Light. After serving nearly 12 years in that role, he worked as a vice president at Indianapolis Power & Light for more than a decade. Slash became president of the Indianapolis Urban League, a position he held until 2014. He has been a prominent community leader for decades, serving on the board of directors of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee and the Center for Leadership Development. Slash received a degree in accounting from Marshall University. This will be his fourth term as a member of the Police Merit Board.
