After tensions between Bike the Bend organizers and the South Bend Police Department resulted in too few officers signing up to work at the event, the ride has been canceled.
Problems started with the 2014 event, when safety issues at seven South Bend intersections were reported by riders and volunteers, according to a news release from Bike the Bend. While organizers have always reimbursed the city for its services, they withheld about $2,523.18 out of the $10,890.30 bill — the amount charged for safety patrols at those seven intersections.
Though Mayor Pete Buttigieg organized two meetings between Bike the Bend and the police, tensions did not dissolve. Shortly before the event this year, organizers said they found out the South Bend Fraternal Order of Police had “recommended to its members that they not sign up for special duty for Bike the Bend.”
That discovery was contrary to public statements made during a news conference by the South Bend Police Department Chief Ron Teachman, who said his officers were “worn out,” from signing up for so many other off-duty events in South Bend, including the city’s 150th anniversary. The number of events increased from 73 in 2012 to a projected 305 this year, Teachman said at the time.
“It appears to us that a campaign was orchestrated by the FOP to punish Bike the Bend for having the temerity to criticize a few officers,” the release stated.
As of three days before the event on June 14, only three South Bend public safety personnel had signed up for special duty, the release stated. However, a handful of other officers from Mishawaka, St. Joseph County and Notre Dame signed up.
”Community safety and support means everything to the success of events like Bike the Bend,“ the release said. ”Because Bike the Bend cannot risk a threat to our riders’ safety, we are announcing today with great sadness that we will not be doing another Bike the Bend for our community.“
The South Bend Police Department declined to comment as of Thursday morning. The FOP and mayor’s office are reportedly drafting statements for the press.
