South Bend Mayor Directs Police Chief on Body Camera Policy

Buttigieg asked South Bend’s police chief to issue an executive order confirming an existing department policy about activating body cameras for interactions.

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SOUTH BEND, INDIANA — South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is telling officers after a fatal officer involved shooting that they must activate their body cameras during any interaction with civilians.

The Democratic presidential candidate asked his police chief to issue an executive order Tuesday about use of body cameras. The order came two days after a white officer fatally shot a 54-year-old black man. The officer said the man refused commands to drop a knife.

Prosecutors investigating Eric Logan’s death say the shooting was not recorded on Sgt. Ryan O’Neill’s body camera because the officer was driving without emergency lights while responding to a call about a suspicious person going through vehicles.

Buttigieg says the city has been working for years to improve relations between police and the community. He says that “must continue with more urgency than ever” after Sunday’s shooting.

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