SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) _ A federal judge will decide whether the city of South Bend can release tape recordings from police department telephones that are part of separate lawsuits filed by officers who contend their conversations were illegally recorded.
 
  The South Bend Tribune reports U.S. District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen on Monday rejected a motion by the South Bend city council to dismiss the case so a state court could hear the matter.
 
  The suits stem from a U.S. Justice Department investigation last year into the recordings. That led to the demotion of Police Chief Darryl Boykins and the firing of the department’s communications director.
 
  The Justice Department said there wasn’t sufficient evidence of a crime even though they tapes might contain “racially charged and defamatory statements.”