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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA northern Indiana police chief has been suspended 30 days without pay after revelations that two of his officers received only reprimands for repeatedly punching a handcuffed man and that nearly all of his supervisors have been disciplined at some point in their careers.
Elkhart Mayor Tim Neese on Tuesday confirmed the suspension of Police Chief Ed Windbigler began Nov. 14.
Neese also told WNDU-TV that he has asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the police department. The Indiana State Police spokesman Capt. David Bursten last week said the agency declined Neese’s request to investigate the department and suggested Neese instead approach the Justice Department.
Reporting by the South Bend Tribune and ProPublica uncovered the beating of the handcuffed man and the disciplinary record of the police supervisors. Two Elkhart officers were charged this month in that incident. Cory Newland and Joshua Titus each face one misdemeanor battery count for allegedly tackling and repeatedly punching Mario Guerrero Ledesma in the face for spitting toward Newland.
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