South Bend Mayor James Mueller has announced the selection of the new South Bend Community Police Review Office Director, Pastor Charles L. King III.
Pastor King is a native of South Bend. He graduated from LaSalle High School and attended IUSB for two years and accepted his call to ministry in 1996, which he has served for over two decades. He is happily married to Beverley King and is a proud father to two children, Dinari and Charles IV.
Aside from being a Pastor, King was a Sales Manager at the Century Center Convention Center and was most recently the Branch Director and Director of Community and Urban Youth Services at the YMCA of Greater Michiana. He is currently a member of the 100 Black Men of Greater Michiana, Men’s Talk, serving as the VP of the Board, a Board Member for Camp Ray Bird, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and is the conference host and speaker for Unified- A Gathering of God’s People. King also has an inner-city fishing program called “Fish-4-Life,” where he takes kids fishing and teaches them the importance of patience and timing. King is a community servant and influences his region by promoting hard work, unity, and love.
In 2020, an ordinance was passed by the common council to create a Community Police Review Board. In 2021, the original ordinance was amended, allowing four councilors to recommend up to three candidates to the mayor for selection and hiring. There were over 50 applicants who applied for this position.
“The hiring of Charles King III as the Director of the Community Police Review Board represents a major step in implementing the review board in our City,” said Council President Sharon McBride. “The search was long and arduous, but necessary to be sure that the right person was offered the position. After many interviews and a public forum, it became clear that what the community wanted and what the review board needed was someone who could restore trust and build relationships within the community. Mr. King’s prior experiences and his responses during the interview process demonstrate that he has these qualities.”
The purpose and intention for the review office is to enhance trust between our community and the South Bend Police Department by encouraging residents to take part in the process to provide additional perspectives to safely, fairly, impartially, and timely conduct investigations of all alleged police misconduct, to reach independent determinations, and make recommendations based on the evidence gained through those investigations. Additionally, the office will work to identify and address patterns of alleged police misconduct and make policy recommendations based on investigation information to improve the police department and reduce incidents of alleged police misconduct.
King’s role becomes effective starting on May 15.
