Remembering 'Chief' Darryl Boykins, South Bend's first Black police chief

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- South Bend Police Captain David Herron only needed one word to sum up the legacy of former Chief Darryl Boykins.

“I would describe it with one word: integrity," Herron said. "That’s what he believed in, doing the right thing when no one was looking, all the time.”

Boykins died peacefully Friday at 70 years old.

“He was more than just a friend," Herron said. "He was a coach, he was a mentor, he was like a father-figure to me.”

Boykins became a South Bend police officer in 1984, rising through the ranks, becoming chief in 2007, the first and only Black police chief in South Bend’s history.

“He was the first Black male chief I’ve ever had to meet in my life," said Oliver Davis Jr., at-large common council member. "It’s a mentor for me, to have a role model as respected as he was to me. As a city leader, I can look up to him.”

When ABC57's Annie Kate asked Herron what his greatest lesson is from Boykins, he replied with, "Tennis."

"That was his love. And that’s how he reached several people," Herron said. "He would drive you to the limit. No breaks.”

Sports were Boykins's love language, coaching tennis at Washington High School, and starting the Police Athletic League (P.A.L.). 

“It’s been well over 30 years and it’s still in existence today," Herron said. "Started with a bucket of balls and about 10 people, participants. And that has grown.”

The P.A.L. Program engages the youth in summer sports with officers.

“We had a parent who said ‘Capt. Herron, I didn’t like police. But bringing my grandchild to this program and seeing how the police are working with the kids'… she now believes in that relationship," Herron said. "Seeing and hearing things like that is rewarding, and it makes you want to do more."

His time at SBPD was not without hardships, including calls for his ousting from then-Mayor Pete Buttigieg. This came after a scandal erupted at the department; tapes were discovered with mysterious, possible illegal recordings from officers, so the buck stopped with Boykins.

However, rather than resigning, he took a demotion and served several years more as a captain, something his colleagues respect him for, ABC57 learned.

“That’s important. Knowing how to walk through a storm with his head up, and still command the respect that he had,” Davis said.

All the officers involved in the South Bend Police Tapes scandal are gone from the department, and the matter to decide if the recordings get released to the public goes to trial this summer.

“It has been my personal passion to have that issue resolved," Davis said. "It’s been a long time coming. But I stood next to the chief and I looked into his eyes 13 years ago. And I’m going to make sure that his legacy will not just be that. Because he’s still my chief. And next year, I want to make sure he gets his due justice.”

It’s a stain on the political career of Buttigieg and still a touchy subject for those who knew Boykins.

“Chief Boykins was a man of integrity who believed in this community and believed in this police department. That’s the statement I have for that,” Herron said.

His legacy lives on in the expanding P.A.L. Program and in the lessons he taught his colleagues and mentees.

“If you know what you want to do in life, make sure you give 110%. You know, you may have some obstacles that may slow you down, but you continue to move forward. Those are the things that stick in my mind,” Herron said.

Per his family's request, services for Chief Boykins will be private.