SOUTH BEND â The South Bend Fire Departmentâs 12 female members have sent the mayorâs office a letter demanding that it address what they say is a longstanding culture of sexual harassment and discrimination, pointing to the discipline of a captain in a recent incident.
The letter, obtained by The Tribune, doesnât identify the captain or the female firefighter involved but says that on Dec. 24 at Station 8, in the Twyckenham Hills area, the captain ânot only demeaned, harassed and blocked her escape when he was verbally harassing her, but also battered her by striking her in the head.â
Chief Carl Buchanon placed the captain on 24-hour unpaid leave, broken up into three 8-hour days, according to a notice that he sent the Board of Public Safety and that the city provided to The Tribune after a public records request.
South Bend revises use of force policy for its officers washingtontimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtontimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SOUTH BEND â After a debate on whether or not to delay the vote on a new use-of-force policy for South Bend police officers, the Board of Public Safety approved the guidelines Wednesday. Board members labeled the revised policy a positive step forward, while also calling on the mayor to submit additional changes to the board in coming months.
The newly adopted policy will formally ban chokeholds, require officers to avoid deploying force whenever possible by using de-escalation techniques, and require officers to use only the force needed to overcome threats. The policy also requires officers to report instances of excessive force.