SOUTH BEND — After facing criticism from activists, faith leaders and Common Council members for a lack of action on a disciplinary system called a “matrix” for South Bend police officers, Mayor James Mueller released a revised draft of the document Thursday for public comment.
The proposed matrix is a chart that categorizes potential officer violations, labeled I-VI, and assigns each category a range of penalties for first, second and third offenses. Infractions like uniform violations call for an oral reprimand on first offense. More severe misconduct, such as accidentally firing a weapon or consuming alcohol on duty, would result in a three-day suspension on first offense, and a 10-day suspension on third offense.
