The most recent officer involved shooting — which has South Bend on edge — underscores persistent tension between the city’s African American community and its police department, which has grown less diverse during Buttigieg’s tenure. Accusations of poor leadership have hampered both of the mayor’s two hand-picked police chiefs  [emphasis: peanut gallery] and admissions of violence by officers have cost the city thousands in settlements.

…Concerns from African American activists grew louder this week when it was revealed the officer involved in the shooting was Sergeant Ryan O’Neill, a veteran of the South Bend Police Department who has been accused by both officers and residents he arrested of racist behavior. 

…One issue that bewildered many former South Bend Police Department officers that CNN spoke to is how certain officers were reprimanded for infractions, while more violent officers were allowed to stay on the force.

…The mayor[‘s staff] noted “a firing-level personnel decision is made by the Board of Public Safety” but that he accepted “responsibility for appointments to the Board of Public Safety and (police) chief.”

…Buttigieg’s first major decision as mayor came shortly after he took office in 2012 when he ousted the city’s first black police chief. That decision was met with outrage from activists in the community and was compounded when Buttigieg subsequently named two white officers to lead the department.

…[Chief] Teachman, according to Patrick Cottrell, the then-President of the South Bend Board of Public Safety, was at the recreation center with Lieutenant David Newton when a fight broke out outside the center. Newton responded to the fight, Cottrell said, but when he requested back up from Teachman, the police chief chose to remain inside the center and not respond to Newton’s call for help.

The Indiana State Police investigated the incident. The agency handed the results of the investigation to Buttigieg, but they were not made public, which left many in South Bend dissatisfied.

…”Just wanted to send a word of encouragement,” Buttigieg wrote in an email to Teachman, according to local reports. “I know that you will not let the nonsense aired in Council distract you from your great work.”

“This was so over the top egregious because policemen and firemen that were regular guys, were suspended and fired for doing less than Teachman,” said Cottrell, who resigned over Buttigieg’s handling of the incident, according to his resignation letter obtained by CNN. “How can you discipline subordinates and not discipline the person who is supposed to be the leader? The mayor proved he wasn’t a leader when he couldn’t even do that.”

…”I’ve gone through four or five mayors, but this has taken a certain turn. Qualified minority officers leave, because there is no avenue of advancement or promotion.”

…Under Buttigieg, the South Bend Police department has slowly — but consistently – grown less diverse.

The department had 26 African American officers in 2014, according to news reports at the time, meaning a little more than 10% of the 253-officer department was black. There are now 13 black officers in the South Bend Police force, according to numbers released by the department, leaving the force 88% white and just over 5% black.

That steady decline in African American officers is opposite to the demographic makeup of South Bend. According to the 2010 census, the city is 26% African American.

Buttigieg was aware of the lack of diversity in the police force for years.

…”If you can’t get along with minority people in your own town,” said Dieter. “What makes you think you’re going to get along with minorities in the rest of the country.”

Pete Buttigieg: Racial tension has plagued South Bend’s police under mayor – CNNPolitics

Psssst, Pete…

If your idea of solutions are a pamphlet with no regulations to back it up, leaving body camera’s as optional for officers [until a PR nightmare belatedly makes you do an about face,] allowing violent racists to continue to work in the police force, and appointing poor leaders… Well, you might want to consider sitting down and shutting the fuck up because if that’s the best you’ve got, you’re exactly the upper-middle white guy this country DOES NOT need right now.