INDIANAPOLIS — FOX59/CBS4 is getting a closer look at a controversy involving a law enforcement official in Center Township.
At the start of October, a Center Township Deputy Constable with an extensive criminal history faced new charges.
FOX59/CBS4 has obtained body camera footage from the day Deputy Constable Craig Regans was arrested in early October.
Regans was arrested for unlawfully carrying a handgun. He had previously been convicted for multiple crimes, including domestic battery. His boss, Center Township Constable Denise Hatch, defended hiring him despite his criminal history.
Body camera video shows the exact moment Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers interacted with Hatch after informing her of her deputy’s arrest.
“Could you take him out of the handcuffs, please?” Hatch asked in the video.
Officers informed her that Regans was a convicted felon, who was just arrested for unlawfully carrying a handgun.
“Please don’t take him in,” Hatch continued.
“We’re going to decide on that in just a minute,” officers replied.
The IMPD officers then stepped aside for a few moments to go over a couple details. When they returned, conversation with Hatch escalated. Officers tell her Regans is going into police custody.
“This is the reason why, politically speaking, we cannot man our sheriff’s department,” Hatch said. “This is why we can’t man our police department because bulls*** like this. This man is no danger to society.”
A short time later, Hatch called the officers racist and began cursing at them profusely.
“F*** you,” she yells in the video. “F*** you. That’s what I said, f*** you. And I know it’s on bodycam, f*** you.”
Eventually, Hatch left peacefully. FOX59/CBS4 sat down with her this week and went over the video again.
“Do you stand by everything you said in that video?” FOX59/CBS4 reporter Michael Van Schoik asked.
“No, I don’t,” Hatch replied. “I was angry.”
Hatch said her actions were wrong, but she is still upset by Regans’ arrest. She claims he was targeted by police during his traffic stop.
“It’s not just racism directed towards Black people, poor urban Blacks suffer the same fate,” she said. “Poor urban Blacks and whites, they suffer the same fate. And those are my constituents.”
Regans is now on administrative leave, Hatch said. Meanwhile, a Center Township judge just filed a court order declaring an emergency, which states, “Constable Denise Paul Hatch is unable to perform the duties of Constable.”
It calls for an emergency appointment of special constables.
“That emergency order can’t even go through without her actually being incapable of doing her duties,” said Lt. Leonard Cummings with the Center Township Constable’s Office. “All services are back up in order. The judge is actively trying to stop deputies from doing their jobs. Why? I don’t know.”
FOX59/CBS4 reached out to Center Township Judge Brenda Roper. She declined an on-camera interview request.
Meanwhile, Hatch said her office is still trying to perform its duties. Her staff is also looking at doing full background checks for future employees, which they do not currently do.
