The South Bend Community Police Review Board continues making progress.
Community Police Review Office Director Charles King says the board had five dispositions in 2025, a number he hopes to improve upon in 2026. Twenty-one complaints were submitted last year, with one being a duplicate.
“We forwarded eight complaints to the South Bend Police Department, and they’re still under investigative review right now, so some of those complaints are going to be before the board before the year is out,” King told board members Thursday.
But the board isn’t legally able to hear every complaint that’s brought forward. King said some complaints missed the filing deadline, were withdrawn voluntarily or were about police agencies outside the board’s jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, board members are still looking into potential policy adjustments. A complaint from 2024 apparently still hasn’t gone before the review board, as members look for clarification on how to handle conflicts of interest. Board members said they’ve been discussing the issue, but their attorney said he wants more discussion before presenting a policy change for a vote.
Board members also discussed ways King’s office could improve its outreach efforts. Cheryl Ashe felt the Hispanic community needed particular attention, "since a lot of them are afraid to come to big meetings because ICE might be there. So, we have to do, I think, a little different outreach to them."
King said he’s already been meeting with La Casa de Amistad, and he’s planning more outreach with the St. Joseph County Public Library in the future.
