Time Has Come for Idea of Police Review Board
September 2, 2004
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The Board of Public Safety oversees the South Bend Police Department, handling hiring and disciplinary matters.
For a while now, the local chapter of the NAACP has wanted that to change. In a recent informational meeting organized by the civil-rights group, the idea of a citizen review board to handle complaints against the police was again discussed.
The police response to the idea could be described as cautious interest, while South Bend Mayor Stephen J. Luecke has in the past said that he feels, with some changes, that the Board of Public Safety is sufficient for handling complaints from residents.
Some residents strongly disagree. These critics have said that they cannot be certain that several high-profile allegations of excessive force have been adequately investigated and properly dealt with by the current review system.
In May a woman's arm was broken by a South Bend officer outside a downtown bar. She was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. In another case involving the same officer and also in May, a man who suffered a broken wrist while he was caught stealing cigarettes said he was the victim of excessive force. He was charged with disorderly conduct.
Cases like these typically lead to internal investigations.
The police have taken some positive measures since community concern about such issues began to rise, developing diversity training and installing a computer system to track complaints against officers.
Police and the mayor attended the meeting organized by the NAACP on establishing a citizen review board, indicating that there is a willingness to talk.
Nevertheless, we've heard very little lately from the police or the mayor about the cases in which excessive force has been alleged.
The current review system creates the stigma that these things are resolved largely behind the scenes, creating suspicion no matter what the facts really are. A more open process might well exonerate officers and help educate the public on some of the difficult situations police are involved in on a daily basis.
As we have said before, we believe that a more open process, one with more community involvement, is essential to dissipate the clouds of frustration and suspicion that hang over the cases of alleged excessive force. We don't know how that community involvement should be structured. Luecke has said that he wants to continue to rely on the Board of Public Safety, whose members he appoints.
We urge the mayor to quickly look at other communities that have set up separate review boards to work to clear the air and enhance the authority and trust their people place in police departments. We need to find a good model and follow it here.
Such a board would be good for the community and, ultimately, good for the police department as well.
This article appeared in the Sep. 2, 2004, issue of the South Bend Tribune and reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board:- David C. Ray, Editor and Publisher
- Tim Harmon, Managing Editor
- Gayle Dantzler, Editorial Page Editor, and
- Christian Zavisca, Asst. Editorial Page Editor
St. Joe Valley Greens, South Bend, IN