The South Bend Board of Public Safety approved changes to the Police Department’s body camera policy that would require random reviews of officer’s body camera footage.
These changes are a result of a series of community meetings where residents gave their input on police practices.
The Police Department’s policies were under scrutiny this year after the shooting death of Eric Logan by a white South Bend police officer in June. The officer’s body camera was not turned on.
In addition to random reviews, the changes also tighten language in the policy and requires officers mark the recordings for certain actions including stating a reason when stopping the recording.
City Spokesperson Mark Bode said having the community’s input about the police department was beneficial.
“We are appreciative that people were involved in the process. Cities work best when they work with an involved public.”
The Board accepted something called a Discipline Matrix which lays out repercussions for officers who violate any policy.
Bode expects that to be approved at the next board meeting on Jan. 15th.
Contact Annacaroline at acaruso@wvpe.org or follow her on Twitter at @AnnacarolineC16
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