by Kari Howard, WNDU 16 TV News, South Bend, Ind.
The South Bend, Ind. police officer blamed for breaking a woman’s arm during an arrest in late May should be forced to resign according to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The NAACP is requesting that Corporal Jess Elliot of the South Bend Police Department should be forced to resign. He’s accused of breaking a 25-year-old woman’s arm when he arrested her outside a South Bend bar May 30.
It’s important to clarify that those allegations of excessive force are just that, still allegations at this point.
The NAACP is challenging the police department to put an end to what they allege is “excessive force” by South Bend officers.
Members of the NAACP say if police brutality continues in South Bend tempers could boil over and the city may have a situation on it’s hands similar to last summer’s riots in Benton Harbor.
NAACP is also calling for the formation of a citizen review board, made up of community members, to address allegations of ‘excessive force’. The group says police administrators should be held accountable for this unacceptable behavior.
“I would hate to think that we would resort to Benton Harbor situation but that is a possibility,” says NAACP President Trina Robinson.
South Bend Police Chief Thomas Fautz says, “I think it’s irresponsible to make those types of comments. We will deal with the situation. We have a history, sometimes people don’t get the answers or the conclusion that they want, but we have to do what’s right, we’re going to follow procedure.” Chief Fautz went on to say that force is often used in arrests and that it has to be reasonable force. The department’s investigation hopes to determine whether or not the force Cp. Ellio used was reasonable.
The NAACP says Elliot is one of 10 officers who’ve used “excessive force”, according to complaints filed.