SOUTH BEND — A resident came before the Community Police Review Board on Aug. 21 to file a formal complaint against an officer after she was disturbed by publicly released footage from his body camera.
At least two officials involved in the board review process responded by questioning why members don’t see more body camera footage.
Board members aren’t able to view body camera footage pertaining to a complaint they’re hearing against an officer. Now some board members want that changed.
Tiana Batiste-Wadell submitted a complaint to the police department against South Bend Officer Samuel Chaput Aug. 20 after watching the body camera footage of the incident. She called for Chaput’s termination.
“I was appalled by what I saw as a citizen,” Batiste-Wadell said. “It was very clear that there could have been a different approach to handling that situation and she was just looked at inhumanely. … We have to ensure that people are competent of differences so that everybody is seen as a human being.”
Batiste-Wadell is hoping the city’s Community Police Review Board will get involved, she said.
In the body camera video released by police — with the faces of the individuals involved redacted — Chaput is seen holding the girl facedown, torso in the tree lawn and head out over the curb. The girl says she didn’t do anything and isn’t trying to run, then asks for the officer to call her mother. In the video, the officer says he will take her to her mother and commands her to put her hands behind her back.
In releasing the body camera footage of Officer Chaput’s call, South Bend Chief of Police Scott Ruszkowski said Chaput used the minimal force needed to reach compliance from the girl, noting Chaput did not file a report against the girl and drove her to her mother.
The police review board’s nine members, who are appointed by South Bend Common Council members, hear case summaries presented by the Community Police Review Office’s Director, Charles King.
King’s office conducts investigations along with the department’s Internal Affairs to draw a conclusion based on the findings, deciding whether the officer is exonerated of the claims against them or if their actions did violate a department policy. The review board then votes on whether it agrees with the findings of King and the Internal Affairs department.
The board does not view body camera footage or conduct its own investigation.
Batiste-Wadell, who is executive director of family advoacy group Jax Aspire Foundation, called into question whether King being employed by the city gives him a conflict of interest in conducting his investigations.
“The citizen’s review board needs to investigate this fully, making sure that there are not conflicts of interest with the director,” Batiste-Wadell said at a protest before the board meeting.
“Because when I went, I really felt like he was not protecting the citizens. He works for the city. He works for the mayor. He works for the police,” Batiste-Wadell said. “So, there should be no conflict of interest if we as citizens are turning in complaints.”
King later told a reporter his position with the city is not a conflict of interest, because he is not a member of the board, which he said is the “adjudicator.”
“All we (the review office) do is present evidence, facts, and information,” King said, adding that board members can request more information regarding a case.
King said he’s not holding any information back.
According to the ordiance establishing the review board, King said, he’s not able to give board members access to body camera footage.
“As that becomes relevant and available and signed into law, that’s something that they would have access to,” he said.
Board member Cheryl Ashe, who attended the meeting virtually, encouraged the public to tell city representatives that the board should be able to view body camera and dash camera footage.
“We can’t do it by ourselves,” Ashe said. “We need the help of the citizens.”
King said giving board members having access to body camera footage would erase any doubt that he’s not providing all of the details in the case to board members.
Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Resident complaint on South Bend cop raises question of why review board can’t see videos
Reporting by Camille Sarabia, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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