Cincinnati's city manager is calling for an independent investigation of the police department.
And he's citing an interview Police Chief Tom Streicher gave the I-Team as the reason for outside investigators.
City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. has released the memo he sent Chief Streicher, saying his "standard for high integrity ... is being called into question."
All this after an I-Team report that Chief Streicher would not allow his Internal Investigation unit to look into charges a supervisor in the mounted patrol unit asked an officer to lie.
This tape recording lies at the center of allegations Police Sergeant Elena Moton and whether she asked an officer to lie for her in a hearing, after another officer decorated his horse in Pittsburgh Steeler gear.
The commander of the patrol bureau, "recommended the matter be referred to the Internal Investigation section."
Chief Streicher refused.
"I am internal affairs,” Streicher told the I-Team.
He also is a friend of Sgt. Moton's.
Hagit Limor, I-Team Reporter:
"To those who say your friendship with Sgt. Moton caused you to end this investigation before it started, what would you say?" Chief Streicher:
"Absolutely baloney. Not true. There is a difference between friendship and between making business decisions, and that's where I draw the line."
The Chief said he wouldn't investigate because the officer taped his conversation without a supervisor's knowledge, against policy. But at least six mounted patrol officers say going to a supervisor wasn't an option when Moton used her friendship with the Chief to "repeatedly threaten their removal from the unit."
When the Chief wouldn't investigate, the officers turned to the Citizen Complaint Authority (CCA). That complaint ended in the City Manager's office. Today he released a memo to Chief Streicher saying, "It is not in the City's best interest to let this go."
Dohoney’s memo also stated, "At a time when we are forging a monumental effort to enhance the integrity of the Fire Department, turning a blind eye to charges of impropriety in the Police Department is just not acceptable."
The city manager cited Streicher's friendship with Moton.
"As you know, part of this story implies that it is not being probed because of the officer's relationship with your family.“I was prepared to direct you to have Internal Investigations examine this complaint so we can get various officers on the record explaining their actions. That was before I watched the full interview that you gave to Channel 9 on the subject. Asking you to do that now with Internal Investigation solely, in light of your expressed views, makes that untenable."
As a result, Dohoney is bringing in outside investigators. He ordered the Chief to have Internal Investigations work with them, to get to the bottom of the whole matter, especially whether a supervisor asked an officer to lie.
Chief Streicher called the I-Team this afternoon and said he hadn't seen Dohoney's memo to him yet, but that he supports whatever the city manager decides.
The memo is posted with this story.
