Amid the turmoil, the United States attorney for the Northern District of Indiana informed the city that after a review of the law, no charges would be brought against Mr. Boykins. No action was taken against the officers. Today none of the four officers heard on the tapes, who held senior roles in the department, still work there.

Mr. Boykins sued the city for racial discrimination over his firing and won $50,000 in 2013. Four white officers sued the city for invasion of privacy and defamation and won a $500,000 payout the same year.

[Read more about Mr. Buttigieg’s decision to fire South Bend’s police chief.]

A separate legal dispute continues between the City Council of South Bend and the police officers who were recorded over whether the tapes can be released.

And precisely what the officers said on the tapes is unknown to the public: Mr. Buttigieg has refused to release them, saying the matter is still being resolved in court. He has said he has never listened to the tapes because of legal restrictions.

Still, in his memoir, Mr. Buttigieg wrote that the case “affected my relationship with the African-American community in particular for years to come.”

Why it could matter

Some minority leaders in South Bend say the case is an example of tone deafness on the part of a rising star in the 2020 Democratic field. There is also frustration among some African-Americans in South Bend that they have not benefited equally from the economic resurgence there that Mr. Buttigieg has extolled on the campaign trail.



Critics of the mayor have also said he has been too willing to settle multiple lawsuits over the police tapes to make the issue go away, ultimately costing the city close to $2 million. And minority representation in the police department remains low.