A pastor who often mentors youth will lead South Bend’s embattled new Community Police Review Office.
Forty-seven-year-old South Bend native Charles King III will become the office’s director May 15, Mayor James Mueller announced Wednesday.
The news comes about a year and a half after Joshua Reynolds resigned before really starting the job, after The South Bend Tribune reported Reynolds had been suspended seven times in his previous job as an Indianapolis police officer.
King has no law enforcement experience. He most recently was director of community and urban youth services at the YMCA of Greater Michiana. He also has an inner-city fishing program called “Fish-4-Life,” where he takes kids fishing and teaches them the importance of patience and timing.
King vowed to be objective when hearing complaints against officers.
“I’m going to lean towards the community, and the police are a part of the community,” King said. “So I’m looking for truth, I’m looking for facts, and I’m going to deal with them very carefully. I’m going to make sure that all the details are responded to, for both the police and the community.”
King will next help the council pick nine community board members. The council is still taking applications.