First Female Captain of the IU Indianapolis Police Department
After leaving the U.S. Army, Diane began her IU Indianapolis Experience as a student in 1976. She has completed Masters degrees in Criminology (2002) and Psychology (2009) and recently obtained SPEA’s Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Sweeney served as an Associate Faculty member of SPEA from 2003-2014. She has been a recognized Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board Certified Instructor since 1983 and became the Department’s first Master Instructor in 1999. Between 1997 and 2002 she was a committee member and presenter for a unique program, “Female Officer Survival Techniques,” designed to mentor, develop, and enhance skills, abilities, and knowledge for women in law enforcement. She is a recognized law enforcement instructor around the State of Indiana in the area of Instructor Development, Critical Incident Stress Management, Family Violence and other law enforcement topics.
As a law enforcement professional, Sweeney began her career at IU Indianapolis Police Department in 1979. In 1998 she became the first female Captain within the department and was responsible for investigations, records, and training sections until 2006. Most recently, she was assigned to the Office of Professional Standards and Compliance.
In 1998, Sweeney became involved with the Training Project on Family Violence for Indiana Law Enforcement Officers to train Indiana Law Enforcement Officers on response to Family Violence Crimes. The project helped educate the State’s first responders on this complex topic, increased their awareness and sensitivity, and encouraged collaboration between various agencies and disciplines. From 2001 to 2009 Sweeney was the grant Project Manager applying for and receiving grant awards totaling $476,722 and certifying nearly 500 new trainers throughout Indiana in the area of Family Violence. Over the 12 years, there were 163,000 “Family Violence Reference Handbooks” (also known as “The Little Yellow Book”) published and distributed.
Because of Capt. Sweeney’s involvement with this project, in 2006 she was selected to participate in the International Association Chiefs of Police National Law Enforcement Leadership Institute on Violence Against Women. Sweeney was appointed in 2010 to the Indiana Domestic Violence Prevention & Treatment Council (DVPTC) by Governor Daniels.
Sweeney has also volunteered and served on various boards and committees dealing with Violence Against Women and disaster response. Because of her work within the field of Critical Incident Stress Management, she became a member of the Indiana Fraternal Order of Police Critical Incident Stress Team (2004) and was appointed to the Indiana All Hazards Committee in 2008.
Sweeney retired from IU Indianapolis in 2014 and currently serves Butler University as a Police Detective.
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