The city of Elkhart released the findings of an independent investigation into its police department Thursday morning.
In January 2018 two Elkhart Police officers were caught on video beating a suspect who was handcuffed to a chair. The video, and other instances of misconduct within the department were uncovered by a series of investigative reports done by the South Bend Tribune and ProPublica.
Criminal investigations into the officers involved in the January incident are ongoing. The Chief of police at the time, Ed Windbigler resigned.
The independent investigationwas commissioned by the city as a way to find and address problems in disciplinary, internal affairs and use of force procedures.
Police Chief Chris Snyder said the department has already made some changes. “We have completed updates on some policies. We have started our de-escalation training. And we have improved our internal and external communication.”
Snyder said other actions that will be taken include; greater review of disciplinary actions, review of use of force and vehicle pursuits, and tracking reports and complaints on an officer-to-officer basis to spot trends.
