Mayor James Mueller wants Joshua Reynolds, the recently hired director of the city’s Community Police Review Board, to resign or be fired, the South Bend Tribune reported July 12.
That comes after last week’s revelation that Reynolds was suspended seven times during his work as an Indianapolis police officer.
During the July 12 Common Council meeting, council president Karen White read a statement calling the revelations troubling.
“The council understands that the success of any such program requires not only the engagement of all stakeholders, but also trust in the process,” White said. “The council takes very seriously any challenge to that trust, and will work hard to preserve that trust.”
But White also said that at this time, the council could not share any details on what steps they plan to take.
“Due to state statutes and the Indiana open door law, council members cannot meet amongst themselves to deal with the issues,” White said. “Discussions must take place in public meetings after notice to the public. Action plans must be made at public meetings with public input, as well as a vote. Your input will be considered. Your trust will be earned.”
City clerk Dawn Jones, whose office is in charge of the board and hired Reynolds, said she still supports him and wants him to lead the board.
In an interview with WVPE last week, Reynolds said most of the suspensions were due to things he did wrong.
But he also alleged he faced retaliation and harassment for reporting a fellow officer and a supervisor for misconduct.
When reached via text message late in the evening on July 12, Reynolds declined to comment but said he would be releasing a statement soon.
Activists had previously expressed concerns over Reynolds’s hiring and said they should have been more involved in the process.
He has agreed to participate in an August 4 public forum hosted by Black Lives Matter South Bend.
The board is still taking applications for membership. Submissions close on July 23, and the review and selection of applications will take place from July 26 to August 6. Board members will be announced in early August.
Contact Jakob at jlazzaro@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @JakobLazzaro.
If you appreciate this kind of journalism on your local NPR station, please support it by donating here.
