SOUTH BEND - Some people are wary of the possibility their next police chief might come from out of town.
They spoke up, Thursday evening, at a town hall meeting the mayor organized to help him choose the next chief.
“Why would we pick someone who doesn't have ties to the community, doesn't know the community leaders, hasn't worked with community leaders?” questioned Lt. Dan Skibins, a South Bend police officer.
“There’s a lot of men in here that can be accepted for the job and I feel like when you bring someone from the outside, it takes a long time to learn the city,” said another man.
But there are others who say a fresh face is exactly what South Bend needs after several months of scandal.
“I don’t care if we have the best person from inside the police department or from outside, I want the best candidate,” said Anita Fishman.
South Bend has been without a permanent chief since Daryl Boykins was demoted in late March, just as the wiretapping scandal was unfolding.
The moderator of Thursday’s town hall meeting was Robert Stewart, a consultant the city hired to help it make a hire.
“We are probably divided right in half, and that's among people inside the police department and people outside the police department,” Stewart said of the applications the city is receiving.
“We've had a lot come in,” said Mayor Pete Buttigieg, “but I haven't touched that pile, it's still growing.”
