The gist of the press conference, that included members of PERF, the Elkhart Police Department, and Mayor Tim Neese, is that there are things the department is doing well and things they are not.

The review was announced in the wake of an incident where a police officer used force against a suspect that was detained and in handcuffs. That is still an ongoing criminal case and wasn’t up for discussion on Thursday.

As had been previously mentioned by Elkhart Police the review found that changes were needed in several areas like complaint processing, their vehicle pursuit policies, and use of force reporting. You can find an earlier article here detailing some of those changes.

While not many specific numbers were discussed, PERF (the company hired to do the review) did detail and identify specific areas of the city where certain issues were the most prevalent.

Overall Police Chief Chris Snyder said he was happy to be a par tof the investigation and that he learned a lot about himself personally and the department as a whole. He noted that Elkhart Police are already doing a lot that departments around the country are not, and this review will only help them get better.

As Tim Neese finishes his last few weeks in office, he said that he is happy that the review was completed during his tenure, and hopes that incoming Mayor Rod Roberson uses the findings as a blue print to help improve Elkhart’s policing.