Jason Critchlow's Response To Oliver Davis Regarding South Bend Common Council Bill No. 43-25
- Letters
- Aug 10
- 2 min read
Earlier this afternoon, Portage Township Trustee Jason Critchlow sent the following in response to an email Dr. Oliver Davis sent last week. The email can be viewed here
Councilman Davis,
Thank you for the information here and that you have provided to me previously. I have reviewed your research, the precedence in other municipalities, and the proposed Ordinance. I have concluded that I agree with your position. I do not believe this Ordinance in its current form is correct for our community at this time, and I would hope to see it amended or tabled due to the barrier it would create for most residents seeking transparency.
That this ordinance will create a barrier to access for many is without question. And on one hand, as an executive responsible for the conduct and operations of a government office, I can certainly understand the position of the City Administration. Attempting to meet every casual request made in seemingly bad faith and without a justified reason potentially presents an unnecessary burden on limited resources. But "justification" is in the eye of the beholder. What one finds wasteful and unnecessary, may be deemed as prudent and important to another. This leads to the dangerous philosophical question - Who gets to make that determination? Perhaps for this reason alone, this ordinance should be tabled.
As a government institution, there can be no greater cause than that which seeks to instill faith and trust between government and residents. As a Township Trustee who has daily interactions with residents, it takes constant, consistent effort to build and maintain that trust with progress often made through intentional effort. A commitment to transparency is a key component in building, maintaining, and growing that trust. But, transparency is not always going to be easy. We have many examples of governments already making some of those intentional efforts such as the creation of public portals for instant access to various government documents, public bidding requirements, etc. Those intentional efforts at transparency come at a cost, but I believe those costs to be worthwhile as they pay dividends in the form of greater community trust. I don't see how this issue should be any different.
Additionally, the topic of policing is historically one of high interest, emotion, and generational trauma. I have to believe that a commitment to transparency will create better interactions and relationships between police officers and residents, as both should be seeking to serve each other. I also believe that police officers and residents have the right to hold each other accountable. The lack of barriers to access of footage is a key component to progress on that front.
It is a delicate balance between responsible operations and meeting the expectations of the public, which includes transparency for the sake of trust. I fear that measures such as this are a step in the wrong direction as they create barriers tipping the scales in a regressive direction.
Thank you for your engagement on this issue!
Jason Critchlow