Required police merit board faces challenges in South Bend

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A state law passed in April of 2023 established that a police or fire department with at least 12 staff members that serves 20,000 people must create their own merit board, or have one automatically created for their district by January 1st, 2025.

The South Bend Police Department is combatting the automatic creation of a merit board by attempting to create their own merit board prior to the December 31st deadline. That way they would not need to adhere to the state law’s requirements for automatically established boards.

South Bend Black Lives Matter informed ABC57 News on Wednesday that they oppose the immediate passing of the bill that would establish a merit board locally, and that there are too many questions from community members that need answered.

At-large councilman Oliver Davis plans to make a motion to allow public comment at a committee meeting where the merit board is set to be discussed Wednesday night.