Indy officer supposed to protect women used intel for own sex crimes, court docs say - IndyStar

[Sarah Nelson]

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis police officer has been suspended after his arrest on voyeurism charges, according to court documents.

Officer Shane Decker, a 25-year veteran, faces numerous felony and misdemeanor charges in connection with alleged crimes dating back to 2019, including that he took videos of sexual encounters with women without their knowledge and received illicit sex acts at massage parlors he once investigated for human trafficking.

According to an arrest affidavit, the investigation began Sept. 10 when another Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officer found a USB drive in a department vehicle that contained the recordings, which were taken with a department-issued laptop. The officer called in the department’s Special Investigations Unit to take over the case.

The same day, Decker was placed on administrative duty with no police equipment or law enforcement authority as the investigation continued, according to Chief Chris Bailey.

For the next three months, police served search warrants on Decker's devices. In three of the videos, Decker is seen in full uniform with his officer radio on, and asked one of the women to listen for his number being called in case he was dispatched.

Multiple women from the videos told detectives they did not give Decker permission to film the encounters. One said she would never give consent to being filmed, and felt "sick and violated."

Another woman told detectives that Decker had stated, “females are irrelevant,” when they were together and would criticize women on the force for their weight, physical appearance and how they spoke.

"He has so much hate for people that are together of the same sex, people of a different minority. He does not think women should be in law enforcement, and overall, he thinks women are pretty much worthless," the woman told the detective.

The affidavit also alleges Decker recorded himself receiving sexual acts at massage parlors around Indianapolis. Detectives said they found searches on his phone for parlors that offered sexual services. Decker had previously been part of investigations into human trafficking at massage parlors around the city. Police said in the affidavit they believe he used his knowledge from his investigations to return to the parlors.

Friday, the police department announced Decker has been suspended and recommended to be terminated by the Civilian Police Merit Board.

"The allegations uncovered in this investigation represent a clear violation of public trust and are completely unacceptable. This behavior has no place in our society," Bailey said in a prepared statement. "My heart goes out to the victims of this inexcusable misconduct, and I want to assure them that their voices have been heard. I commend the courage and strength of those who came forward to help ensure accountability."

Indianapolis officers charged with sex crimes​

Decker is the fifth Indianapolis officer this year to be arrested and charged with a sex crime offense.

In September, Kamal Bola was charged with sexual misconduct, molestation and voyeurism after being accused of having a camera in an underage girl’s bedroom. One month prior, Javed Richards was arrested and charged with 13 counts of child exploitation and one count of possession of child pornography after detectives discovered Richards was allegedly uploading and downloading material sexually exploiting children on the internet.

What's going on?:Numerous Indy cops have been charged with sex crimes in 2024.

Myron Leonardo Howard was arrested in April after two women called for help and alleged they were sexually assaulted after meeting Howard at those calls. And in January, Paul Humphrey faced charges after he was accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old.

Contact IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com