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Police chief replaces controversial cruiser plate; council discusses SRO, staffing and recruiting
Summary
North College Hill police chief ordered memorial‑band license plates to replace a thin‑blue‑line plate on a cruiser after residents raised concerns on social media. Council members praised the chief’s quick action and also discussed school resource officer funding, department staffing levels and an upcoming fire levy certification.
Chief Mark Chaney (identified in the meeting as Chief Chaney) told council he had already purchased replacement plates described as a ‘‘memorial band plate’’ — an all‑black plate with a single blue line — to replace an American‑flag display that prompted a social‑media controversy over a thin‑blue‑line flag. The chief said the plates would be placed on city cruisers "probably at the end of the week."
The remarks came after several residents and council members raised questions about how the display on a cruiser had been interpreted. Chief Chaney said the decal was intended as a memorial to fallen officers, not a political statement, and that critics had misread its meaning. "It's a memorial band plate. That's what we will put on the back of the cars when they come in, probably at the end of the week," the chief said.
Council members responded with broad support for the chief’s decision.…
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