SCHERERVILLE | A call dispatched at 1:23 p.m. March 1 said a 3-month-old baby in a Schererville apartment complex was "down and not breathing," an investigation revealed.

About three-tenths of a mile away from the infant in distress, Schererville Patrolman Richard Jandura heard the emergency call over the radio in his take-home squad car.

Jandura was off duty but on his way to report for his shift at the Schererville police station.

Instead of notifying dispatchers of his location and status, Jandura drove past the scene of the emergency and reported for duty. He would have been the first one on the scene by 5 to 15 seconds, the investigation determined.

Schererville Police Chief David Dowling recommended that Jandura be terminated. Instead, Jandura is serving a 90-day suspension without pay.

The suspension took effect immediately after the Schererville Board of Metropolitan Police Commissioners ruled Tuesday that Jandura was guilty on three of five charges against him in connection with the March 1 incident.

The commission found him guilty of neglect of duty, unsatisfactory performance on the occasion of a condition deserving police attention and failing to notify dispatch of his location and status while off duty and in the area of an emergency.

Police commissioners rejected the two other charges against Jandura, that he displayed conduct unbecoming of an officer and that he failed to conduct himself in a manner that would be a positive reflection on the Police Department.

Along with the unpaid suspension, the commission ordered Jandura to undergo re-training and participate in an employee assistance program, which Dowling will determine how to implement, said John Bushemi, attorney for the Police Commission.

Jandura said he is glad that the matter is settled.

"I'm happy I'll still be able to serve the town of Schererville," he said.

Jandura's attorney, Steve Bower, said he would have liked a lesser punishment for Jandura, but he said the Police Commission acted diligently in the investigation of the incident.

Dowling said he will live with the commission's ruling.

"I asked for termination because I believe the violation warranted termination ... that's what I had asked for," he said. "But on the other hand, that's how due process works."

Jandura has been with the department about 12 years, Dowling said.

The Police Commission sealed other details of the case, such as what happened to the 3-month-old baby.