CINCINNATI — Cincinnati officials are reviewing allegations from the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police that a city consultant is harassing several on-duty police officers.
The FOP is calling for Iris Roley to be fired in an online petition started by FOP President Ken Kober. The petition alleges that Roley "has been caught on body cam multiple times harassing police officers for doing their jobs."
As of Sunday morning, the petition has more than 2,900 signatures. It has a goal of 5,000 signatures.
"Despite clear misconduct, the city continues to fund her contract with taxpayer dollars," the petition alleges.
On the petition, the FOP also posted two body camera videos where Roley allegedly harassed cops. The FOP also posted an appearance Roley made on a podcast where she "wasted no time berating a retired Cincinnati police officer and the others on the show," the FOP wrote on the petition website.
Watch one of those body camera interactions below:
The FOP also posted all of these videos on the organization's Facebook page, and in one post claims Roley "is not a collaborator," instead calling her "an agitator."
In one of the body camera videos, Roley asks a man, who is being asked by a CPD officer to pour out his beer, if he'd like to file a complaint against the officer.
Watch the full body camera video below:
Supporters of Roley have also created their own petition, saying "without her leadership, we risk losing the progress we've made and stalling the reforms that make Cincinnati safer for all."
The petition has more than 900 signatures as of Sunday morning, with a goal of 1,000 in total.
On Friday, Roley responded to the petition and claims of harassment with a statement from her attorney shared on Facebook.
"Videos circulated by FOP members and the recent call to sign a petition have targeted Ms. Roley for encouraging a community member to follow formal complaint procedures and questioning an officer's response, which have long been part of her community-centered approach to better policing in the City, and are within her rights to free speech and advocacy outside of her formal services for the City," the statement reads.
Roley's statement from her attorney also says that her decades-long role in Cincinnati has "always involved evaluating police conduct and supporting community voices about policing in Cincinnati."
Roley's statement also says the FOP's allegations have led to hate messages and threats to Roley, her family and her business.
Roley has been a consultant with the city manager's office since 2022, helping the city to implement its Collaborative Agreement, which is upheld nationwide as an exemplary model for combating discriminatory, excessive law enforcement. Roley was one of the central organizers of the Collaborative Agreement. She is also a prominent, longtime organizer with the Cincinnati Black United Front, a social justice collective whose activism helped serve as a catalyst for the agreement. Roley was also inducted into the Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2021.
Roley's contract with the city was announced in February 2022, saying Roley had been hired as a paid consultant "on matters related to Collaborative Agreement sustainability initiatives." The contract says her role was six months long, with an optional three-month renewal period. To date, Roley is still a paid consultant with the city.
The contract also outlines the scope of Roley's services "on behalf of the City of Cincinnati." Those services include working "collaboratively" with the police chief and city manager, engaging stakeholders on "community-police relations and community problem solving training," and providing advice on the "hiring of a new police chief as requested by the city."
You can read Roley's contract with the City of Cincinnati below:
Iris Roley Cincinnati Consulting Contract by webeditors
Roley also played a role in Cincinnati's new "Act for Cincy" plan, which we reported on in January. The plan, which is about preventing jun violence in Cincinnati, combines five different stratefies — many of which are already used — to address the issue. The 51-page report outlines Roley's work in "fostering safety and reducing youth-related disorder at Cincinnati's Government Square transit center." It also said she leads a team of volunteers that focuses on improving public safety by "focusing on outreach, relationship-building and strategic problem-solving." Read the full "Act for Cincy" blueprint here.
In a statement to WCPO, City Manager Sheryl Long said Roley "is an essential community and civic leader in Cincinnati."
"Her contributions span from the origins of the Collaborative Agreement to her commitment to problem solving, resulting in support for teens at our transit center," Long said. "She consistently steps up to organize effective strategies and raises her hand to support (the) community when others don't."
To end her statement, Long said that "anyone doing work on behalf of the City of Cincinnati must hold themselves to a higher standard. That includes not interfering with police who are in the act of performing their lawful duties."
