South Bend Tribune
The past several weeks since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis have been marked by protests, calls for police reform and an overwhelming sense of frustration and anger about the expanding list of names of African Americans killed by police.
In other words, it’s been a lot like what South Bend experienced — on a much smaller scale — just one year ago after the fatal police shooting of Eric Logan by Ryan O’Neill, who was a South Bend police sergeant at the time.
Some, heartened and inspired by the depth and breadth of national protests, believe that this time is different, that real, substantive change may finally be coming. But locally, not much has been accomplished in the area of police reform.
And then, within the span of a few days — unquestionably spurred in part by the momentum created by the national movement — came signs of potential progress on police reform in South Bend.
At a Monday news conference, Mayor James Mueller said that he will release a police officer discipline matrix later this week, the department will ban chokeholds, and he’ll ask a consultant when the city can release its recommendations for police reforms called for after the killing of Logan a year ago.
Also at the news conference, the mayor and Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski stated their willingness to work with the council on a civilian review board.
The announcements came after the Common Council’s release Friday of a letter that was critical of the mayor’s handling of the issues. The council has tabled Mueller’s request to give police officers a 2.5% pay raise, on top of the 2% raise they’re already receiving this year, until it has more time to discuss the proposal.
The council wants to make sure the city budget, expected to take a major hit because of the coronavirus pandemic, can afford the extra raises. The council also first wants to see action on the reforms, according to the six-page letter, signed by council Democrats, who make up eight of nine members.
It’s hard not to note the timing of this potential progress: Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of the fatal shooting of Logan, and during that time, city officials haven’t done much in terms of concrete reform to address the concerns of those calling for change. With then-Mayor Pete Buttigieg on the presidential campaign trail, the national media gave South Bend and the longstanding problematic relationship between police and the African American community an extreme close-up.
The city made few changes to the police department’s policies based on community feedback. And the new disciplinary guidelines, which were originally set to go to the city Board of Public Safety for approval in January, have been tabled for the last six months.
The city last year spent $180,000 to hire a prominent Chicago-based consulting firm to study the police department and report back with potential reforms, but still has not announced the results of the study.
As for a civilian review board, the concept — typically revived in the wake of incidents involving complaints of alleged excess force and other misconduct — has been a nonstarter for years, mostly due to a lack of support from the city’s mayors, past and present.
But on Monday, the mayor committed to reform. He took an initial step toward addressing the changes that must be made to create a more just system and establish trust. He must follow through on these commitments that come a year after the fatal Father’s Day shooting that created a highly combustible brew in this city.
The mayor, who took office five months ago and is working with a council made up of several new faces, should seize the opportunity to take a fresh look at this deep-seated problem. And he should do so with a sense of urgency, because this community can’t wait another 12 months for meaningful change.
