The tapes of recordings made within
the South Bend Police Department that were involved in a federal investigation
are now in the hands of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. department of Justice.
Before Mayor Buttigieg left for his
Navy Reserve Duty he said the tapes would be forwarded there but did not know
when. Saturday he said the tapes have
arrived and he is waiting to hear back on whether or not that department will
be able to take any action. In the
meantime he hopes the city can move forward.
"I think most people in the community
want to move on. We've got our work cut
out for us and the whole community needs to concentrate on what it takes to get
the best leadership in the police department going forward," said Buttigieg.
Buttigieg says he has not heard any
feedback about the tapes from the Department of Justice yet.
Controversy
surrounding the tapes led to the resignation of then-Chief Darryl
Boykins. Boykins rescinded his resignation a day later and the mayor
demoted him. It also led to the firing
of the police department's communications director, Karen DePape.
The
mayor has continuously said that he cannot listen to or release the tapes
because doing so would violate federal eavesdropping and electronic
communications laws, along with Indiana Code.
