How this headline may connect to industries in Indiana. Technical scores are below — click any ? for what a metric means.
South Bend leaders respond to judge’s ruling over South Bend Police tapes
IndianaGDELTGDELT event17% biasedFri, May 29, 2026, 12:00 AM
4 of 23 sentences classified as biased · Model: roberta-anno-lexical-ft-v1
South Bend leaders respond to judge’s ruling over South Bend Police tapes.South Bend leaders respond to judge’s ruling over South Bend Police tapes SOUTH BEND, Ind.(WSBT) — South Bend leaders are responding to a judge's ruling about the phone recordings at the South Bend Police Department.The judge said they should be destroyed but that ruling is on hold until any appeals are settled.Council President Canneth Lee released this statement, “I am disappointed with the decision of the St.Joseph Superior Court that the Police Tapes which have been subject to litigation for nearly 14 years should be suppressed from the public and destroyed.I will be scheduling an Executive Session of the Common Council and our attorneys within the next few days to discuss possible next steps to this long process.” The case goes back more than a decade.RELATED: Judge rules South Bend Police tapes illegally obtained; orders destruction Common Council member Oliver Davis was part of the common council when they first requested the police tapes.Davis sent a statement, Today is a very sad day in the City of South Bend, Indiana due to the St.Joseph County Superior Court Judge's ruling which ordered the South Bend Police Tapes to be destroyed.As the South Bend Common Councilmember who first requested that the South Bend Common Council, as the legislative branch of local government, should subpoena the tapes as a part of our oversight duties over 14 years ago, I find the Judge's ruling very troubling and disheartening.This is because the police in question already shared that they were utilizing public (tax payer) phones.Thus, it is my understanding that there is No Expectation of Privacy: Employees have no legal expectation of privacy on government-issued devices.All calls, texts, and emails are subject to public records laws (like the Indiana Access to Public Records Act) and audits.Henceforth, it is very shocking and disturbing that the the St.Joseph County Superior Court Judge's ruling ordered the South Bend Police Tapes to be destroyed.These tapes were done on government-issued devices.Thus, it is highly hoped that the South Bend Common Council will rigorously appeal today's ruling by the St.Joseph County Superior Court Judge so that justice, which has been long denied, can finally become a reality for the People of South Bend, Indiana.Cherishing the awesome Legacy of the late Chief Darryl Boykins and all of those who have been harmed by this long court battle, Dr.Oliver Davis, At-Large Councilmember South Bend Common Council The tapes were at the center of a long-running lawsuit between the Common Council and the City.The tapes were made when a police phone line was recorded and allegedly contained racist language.The court says the recordings violated both state and federal wiretap laws.