OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Police American Commission Meeting - June 8, 2026

City Council — Monday, June 8, 2026
BodyEvansville, Indiana
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, June 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 6:46
Transcript — Verbatim
0:25

Okay.

0:28

Good evening.

0:29

Welcome to the Police American Commission meeting at 424 dated Monday, June 8th.

0:39

We will start by acknowledging our guests.

0:47

Done.

0:48

Assistant Chief.

0:51

Chief Bill Smith.

0:53

Deputy Chief Kirby.

0:57

Attorney Aaron.

1:01

Go ahead.

1:03

DJ Thompson.

1:04

Myself, James Sutton.

1:06

Sergeant Dexter Wolf and Secretary Joy Teeter.

1:09

Can I get approval of the minutes from May 11th, 2026?

1:14

Motion to approve.

1:15

I second.

1:16

Motion's been made and carried.

1:18

All in favor?

1:19

Aye.

1:19

Ayes have it.

1:21

Can I get approval of the claims?

1:23

Motion to approve 1,650 in claims.

1:28

I second.

1:29

Motion's been made.

1:30

Second.

1:30

All in favor?

1:31

Aye.

1:32

Aye.

1:33

Um we don't have any.

1:35

Do we need a motion that or anything since we didn't appeal it?

1:42

Wait a minute.

1:43

Oh, I skipped.

1:45

Get ahead of myself here.

1:47

We got a probationary update.

1:50

And we've been updated on the officers in training.

1:57

New discipline.

2:01

Yeah.

2:05

You want to read or want me to?

2:08

Go ahead.

2:08

I make a motion to accept the discipline number 26 PDU PDO 02.

2:17

On Officer Joseph Harter for a 15-day suspension.

2:25

Second.

2:27

All in favor?

2:28

Aye.

2:29

Ayes have it.

2:33

We need to certify the 2026 Corporal Promotional List to be effective June 10th, 2026 to June 9th, 2028.

2:46

I will make a motion that we certify the corporal's list that does not have candidate Joseph Harder on it.

2:55

I second.

2:57

Motion has been made second.

2:59

All in favor?

3:00

Aye.

3:01

Aye.

3:03

To certify the applicant scores from the May 2026 hiring process into the active eligibility list.

3:10

Make the motion to do so.

3:13

I second.

3:15

Aye.

3:17

All in favor.

3:19

Aye.

3:20

Ayes have it.

3:21

Do we have anything on the three applicants?

3:26

I will make a motion to allow applicant 25-234 to continue and to remove applicant 25-206 and 26-086.

3:41

I second.

3:43

Motion has been made and seconded.

3:44

All in favor?

3:45

Aye.

3:46

Ayes have it.

3:49

Sworn awards and commendations.

3:54

We need to notification from the chain of command that the lifesaver award has been issued to Officer Blake Zachary.

4:02

Officer Joshua Myers for their actions on May 3rd, 2026.

4:07

Request from the chain of command that the certificate of condemnation be issued to Officer David Smith for his actions on May 15, 2026.

4:18

I make a motion.

4:25

We do on those two.

4:28

Oh, I'm sorry.

4:29

I's certified that the certificate of condemnation be issued to Officer Stephanie Yates for her actions on May 18th, 2026.

4:43

So with that.

4:46

I'll make a motion to accept the chain's request for certificates of accommodation for David Smith and Officer Stephanie Yates.

4:55

I second.

4:55

All in favor.

4:56

Aye.

4:57

Aye as have it.

4:58

Then we notification from the chain of command that the lifesaver award has been issued to Officer Jacob Mealeaf and Officer Spencer Howell for their actions on May 21st, 2026.

5:10

No action needed there.

5:12

We have some retirements and resignations.

5:16

Officer Matthew Dion Knight, badge number 1276.

5:20

Retiring effective June 11, 2026, after serving 22 years, six months and nine days with the Evansville Police Department.

5:31

Three resignations.

5:33

Officer Samuel Keith Splittorf, badge number 1621 resigned effective May 31st, 2026, after serving 10 months and 20 days with the Evansville Police Department.

5:46

Officer Corbin Antonio Ricketts, badge number 1626, resigned effective June 1st, 2026, after serving 10 months and 21 days with the Evansville Police Department.

5:59

Officer Charles John Charles Wagner, badge number 1631, resigned effective June 1st, 2026 after serving four months and 20 days with the Evansville Police Department.

6:15

Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 22nd, 2026 at 415 p.m.

6:21

Is there anything else anyone has?

6:26

We had some late guests come in.

6:29

Would you state your names, please?

6:31

Jason Thomas.

6:34

Kevin Domingue, sorry, with the other response.

6:37

Thank you.

6:38

Can I get a motion to adjourn?

6:39

Motion to adjourn.

6:41

I so moved.

6:42

Second.

6:43

All in favor?

6:44

Aye.

6:45

Aye.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
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Personnel Matters███████████████████████████████████████████49%
Summary of Proceedings

Police American Commission Meeting - June 8, 2026

Meeting Summary

The Police American Commission met on Monday, June 8, 2026, at 424 (location) to consider routine approvals, personnel actions, and awards. All votes were unanimous unless noted.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: The commission approved the minutes from the May 11, 2026 meeting. (Motion, second, voice vote: all ayes)
  • Claims Approval: The commission approved $1,650 in claims. (Motion, second, voice vote: all ayes)

Discussion Items

  • Discipline: Officer Joseph Harter received a 15-day suspension under discipline number 26-PDU-PDO-02. The motion to accept the discipline passed unanimously.
  • 2026 Corporal Promotional List: The commission certified the list effective June 10, 2026 to June 9, 2028, explicitly excluding candidate Joseph Harter from the list. The motion passed unanimously.
  • Applicant Process: The commission certified applicant scores from the May 2026 hiring process into the active eligibility list. On three specific applicants: the commission voted to allow applicant 25-234 to continue and to remove applicants 25-206 and 26-086. Motion passed unanimously.
  • Sworn Awards and Commendations: The commission accepted the chain of command's requests:
    • Certificate of commendation for Officer David Smith (actions on May 15, 2026) and Officer Stephanie Yates (actions on May 18, 2026). Motion passed unanimously.
    • The commission acknowledged a lifesaver award for Officer Blake Zachary and Officer Joshua Myers (actions on May 3, 2026) and another lifesaver award for Officer Jacob Mealeaf and Officer Spencer Howell (actions on May 21, 2026). No action was required for these lifesaver awards.

Retirements and Resignations

  • Retirement: Officer Matthew Dion Knight (badge 1276) retiring effective June 11, 2026, after 22 years, 6 months, 9 days of service.
  • Resignations:
    • Officer Samuel Keith Splittorf (badge 1621) resigned effective May 31, 2026, after 10 months, 20 days of service.
    • Officer Corbin Antonio Ricketts (badge 1626) resigned effective June 1, 2026, after 10 months, 21 days of service.
    • Officer Charles John Charles Wagner (badge 1631) resigned effective June 1, 2026, after 4 months, 20 days of service.

Next Meeting

The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 22, 2026, at 4:15 p.m.

Public Comments

There were no public comments recorded on the transcript. Late guests introduced themselves as Jason Thomas and Kevin Domingue (with the other response), but no public testimony was provided.

Meeting Transcript

Okay. Good evening. Welcome to the Police American Commission meeting at 424 dated Monday, June 8th. We will start by acknowledging our guests. Done. Assistant Chief. Chief Bill Smith. Deputy Chief Kirby. Attorney Aaron. Go ahead. DJ Thompson. Myself, James Sutton. Sergeant Dexter Wolf and Secretary Joy Teeter. Can I get approval of the minutes from May 11th, 2026? Motion to approve. I second. Motion's been made and carried. All in favor? Aye. Ayes have it. Can I get approval of the claims? Motion to approve 1,650 in claims. I second. Motion's been made. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Um we don't have any. Do we need a motion that or anything since we didn't appeal it? Wait a minute. Oh, I skipped. Get ahead of myself here. We got a probationary update. And we've been updated on the officers in training. New discipline. Yeah. You want to read or want me to? Go ahead. I make a motion to accept the discipline number 26 PDU PDO 02. On Officer Joseph Harter for a 15-day suspension. Second. All in favor? Aye. Ayes have it. We need to certify the 2026 Corporal Promotional List to be effective June 10th, 2026 to June 9th, 2028. I will make a motion that we certify the corporal's list that does not have candidate Joseph Harder on it. I second. Motion has been made second. All in favor?

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