SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The South Bend Community Police Review Board met Thurs. evening for a meeting, where they were expected to take a vote on an alleged use of force case involving a juvenile that happened in Aug., but they didn’t have a quorum. 

Only four members showed up in person, while they needed five members to take action. The case is over a summer incident when a South Bend police officer detained a 14-year-old girl after a call about a disturbance at a downtown McDonalds. 

Video of the incident sparked outrage and citywide protests, prompting a citizen to submit a complaint to the review board. Following that, the South Bend Police Department (SBPD) conducted an investigation, which concluded in them exonerating the responding officer. The review board was supposed to vote on whether or not they agree with that decision. 

“Tonight’s meeting, had we come to a vote, would have been to vote if we agree or disagree with law enforcement’s conclusion to exonerate the officer after considering it in Oct. and receiving additional information from law enforcement since that meeting,” said the Community Police Review Board’s attorney, Robert Masters. 

Masters explained they have a deadline for making a vote on the case. After it went to SBPD for their investigation, SBPD sent it to the Police Review Board Office. The office did an investigation and sent their conclusions to the board, which started a timeline of 60 workdays to make a decision.

“That is roughly four weeks give or take from our last meeting in Oct. That puts us perhaps in mid-to-late Dec., but it’s the sense of this board that we would rather address this sooner than that,” said Masters. 

Once the vote does happen, the Community Police Review Board director, Charles King III, said there’s a few different responses that could take place. 

“We’ve watched the video and gone over all the details, talked with the family, even talked with people from the McDonalds and so we, I personally have been involved in this case for a while and I want to see it resolved and come to a conclusion… there’s a lot of different ways they could go about this but I think the most effective way is to look at the policy because if the policy is tweaked, this wouldn’t be an issue going forward,” said King. 

Black Lives Matter South Bend sent out a statement in response to the board not having a quorum, which reads in part, “The Board’s inability to convene is not a procedural mistake. Assuredly, this is a profound moral failure. At a moment when a child in our community has been harmed by those who are sworn to protect her, the Review Board had one responsibility: to show up, to listen, and to act. Instead, the Board’s absence demonstrates a disturbing disregard for the safety, dignity, and humanity of Black youth in this city… Black Lives Matter South Bend calls on the board members, the mayor’s office, and the South Bend Common Council to immediately take corrective action to ensure this body can fulfill its mandate.”

Masters said they are going to determine everyone’s availability to schedule a special meeting for the postponed agenda. They are hoping for early Dec. date and they must provide 72-hour notice to the public.