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Martins Ferry resident presses council for answers as police investigation remains open; chief gives August activity totals
Summary
A longtime community volunteer said he has not received results of an investigation involving city officers and asked the council for an apology or explanation; the police chief reported August activity totals and noted partial rollout of license-plate readers.
Greg Roby, a Martins Ferry resident who identified himself as a representative of Kingdom of Heaven, told the Martins Ferry City Council he has not received the findings of an investigation he says involved city officers and repeated his request for answers and an apology.
Roby said he filed two complaints against Officer Cole and asked whether the investigation was complete. “I have not gotten no answers yet,” Roby said. “When I say we, because I think there's a lot of people in the city that was interested about what happened.” He told the council he has recordings and said he was told earlier the matter was finished.
Mayor (name not given) and other council members responded that the matter is an active investigation, and therefore they could not discuss particulars in an open meeting. “As I understand this, this is an ongoing investigation,” the mayor said. “As far as I've been informed, they've not completed the investigation.”
Police Chief Murphy said investigators were still working the matter and that the department could not release details while the investigation is underway. When Roby pressed for timing, Murphy answered that the investigation remained open but said the department could sit with Roby and view video evidence: “We can sit down today and watch them,” Murphy said.
Roby asked why he was removed from a city park stage and said families and children were affected; he repeatedly requested a clear account of what the police reviewed and why other people who use the park had not been subject to the same treatment. Council members said they had not seen the body-camera video or other evidence and that they rely on the police department to complete its work before public release. “We don't directly control the police department,” one council member said.
Chief Murphy also presented the Police Department’s August activity totals to the council. The chief reported the department processed 769 total calls to dispatch; of those, 601 required police response, 160 were EMS or fire responses and eight were city services calls. The chief enumerated investigations and responses that month including 24 arrests, 96 traffic stops, 32 criminal cases sent for prosecution, 22 domestic violence calls, 15 vehicle accidents and one suicide. He said the department currently has two active impounded vehicles and three additional impounded/forfeited vehicles slated for auction; total revenue collected from auctioned and impounded-vehicle fees in August was $1,512.
On technology, Murphy said three Flock license-plate readers (LPRs) have been installed and training will begin after three more units are installed. He also thanked Shadyside Police Department for donating a rear seat and partition from a decommissioned vehicle so Martins Ferry can convert a former K-9 vehicle into a patrol car.
Roby and several council members urged the department to finish the investigation and communicate results when appropriate. Council members said they would ask the department for updates but reiterated legal limits on discussing open investigations in public.
The meeting’s public-comment period included multiple exchanges about the investigation and police handling; no formal disciplinary action or vote by council related to the investigation was recorded at the meeting.
