June 24, 2024 - My office and I have spent the weekend and all of today in communication with the Fort Wayne Police Department. Our entire City of Fort Wayne team has worked diligently to properly review the incident from this past weekend.
I am a strong proponent of body cameras. My support goes back to my time on City Council and my leadership on the passage of the implementation of body cameras. My desire is to have body cameras serve as protection for public safety personnel and the public. Transparency and trust are key components of a healthy and desirable community.
The Fort Wayne Police Department is in communication with the family of Linzell Parhm to allow for them to view the body camera footage. Once the family has had the opportunity to view the video, the City of Fort Wayne will release the body camera footage to the media and the public. This is out of the utmost respect for the family.
This situation is unprecedented due in part to the viral video of the incident that has been circulating. Each situation that we encounter in the future will be handled on a case-by-case basis and may not involve the immediate release of body camera footage.
Members of the Fort Wayne Police Department and I will not be able to take questions from the media due to the case being an active investigation.
It is critical that we come together as residents of our great city and support one another.