Indy mayor to issue executive order that will require city employees to complete annual harassment training

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett is expected to sign an executive order that will require all city-county employees to complete a two-hour harassment training annually.

A memo obtained by FOX59 and CBS4 indicates Hogsett will authorize the executive action “in the coming days.”

Hogsett’s order comes just weeks after one of his former aides was publicly accused of inappropriate workplace conduct. Caroline Ellert — a former city employee — and Lauren Roberts — a former member of Hogsett’s campaign team — alleged Thomas Cook used his authority to coerce them into romantic relationships.

An Indianapolis Star investigation revealed Cook was subjected to three employment-related sanctions beginning in October 2017 and ending in October 2023.

After the incidents, Cook was reprimanded and prohibited from having romantic relationships with any of his co-workers. Cook resigned in December 2020 after he violated a 2017 reprimand by having a romantic relationship with one of his subordinates.

Both Ellert and Roberts have met with members of city-county council to discuss how future harassment claims should be handled by the city. Hogsett apologized to Cook’s alleged victims on Monday when he presented his proposed 2025 budget to the city-county council.

When he spoke at the council meeting, Hogsett said the city would have its harassment policies reviewed by a national firm. He also indicated that all city employees would have to undergo sexual harassment training, which had previously only been required for supervisors.

Hogsett additionally expressed that he intends to roll out a new mechanism that will allow city employees to anonymously report incidents of harassment.

The city-county council has already moved forward with two proposals that could modify the city’s sexual harassment policies. If approved, the measures could result in the formation of a committee designed to look into Hogsett’s handling of the complaints against Cook.

In his memo that FOX59 and CBS4 obtained, Hogsett indicated that he completed harassment training required by the city earlier this week. He reported that he did the training in both 2022 and 2020.

Hogsett wrote that ramping up harassment training requirements will allow “every single person who serves this community to know their rights, their protections, their reporting obligations and what to do if they find themselves on the receiving end of any unacceptable behavior.”

Hogsett’s memo also confirmed an anonymous reporting form will soon be available to all city employees. The city’s workers will be notified by their human resources representatives when the form is ready for use.

Hogsett also wrote that the independent, national firm slated to review the city’s harassment training will update the city’s entire employee handbook.

The mayor closed out his memo by reiterating that employees have access to free mental health resources via the city’s employee assistance program. Hogsett wrote that all employees should have previously received a message highlighting which resources are available to them and their families.