SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – An informational meeting and opportunity for public comment regarding a rushed effort to change the way South Bend police officers are disciplined if they make mistakes took place Wednesday evening.

A new law passed in Indianapolis requires Indiana police and firefighters to move to a merit system for personnel actions by the end of the year. Departments can either make this decision or continue to manage staff actions as always.

In this case, however, the state would automatically implement a merit system for municipal police and fire departments.

Public Safety Council President Rachel Tomas Morgan advocated for South Bend police to establish their own merit system.

“Flexibility, it seems. I mean, that’s what I take away from the questions that are asked. The fourth option gives municipalities more flexibility. There is something that merits systems being created by the municipality, rather than having a system imposed by the state,” said Tomas Morgan.

The decision to create a merit system in South Bend was criticized by a representative of Black Lives Matter South Bend, arguing that the system gives police too much control over their own discipline without sufficient oversight.

For his part, South Bend Mayor James Mueller officially supported the merit system project.

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