South Bend City Council officers look to move forward, meet with mayor

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- There has been a new development in the South Bend Police Department tape scandal.

On Thursday, officers of the South Bend Common Council sent a press release saying that they want to move forward and are seeking a meeting with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

They stated that they had taken the "high road" in this situation and alluded to not yet using "investigative tools" provided to them by the Indiana state law.

"We decided that such action should be used as a last alternative. We have been respectful with regard to seeking answers and information relative to the actions taken by the Mayor, which were directly related to the demotion of the former Police Chief and termination of the City's former Communications Director," the letter reads.

They also referenced that the mayor has spoken publicly about wanting to know about what was on the tapes and would want to if he could find out legally.

One of the comments referenced was made on June 2, when Buttigieg told ABC 57 News, "I want to know and I want the community to know, but it has to be done lawfully."

The South Bend Common Council officers are inviting Mayor Pete to sit down with them and have an open dialogue. They encourage him to contact their attorney "so that this important matter can be addressed for the betterment of our city and the citizens we serve."

They concluded the letter by stating, "A cloud over the internal operations of City Government does not foster trust and confidence. Our residents deserve more."

ABC 57's Jason Aubry is following this story and will have more information in later editions of ABC 57 News.