Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Oversight topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lima City Council refers downtown 03:18 use‑of‑force incident to Safety Services committee, authorizes subpoenas for video
Summary
After multiple public comments alleging excessive force at a Sept. 27 incident at the 318, Lima City Council referred the matter to its Safety Services Committee and authorized the law director to issue subpoenas for all video recordings of the event; the motion passed by voice vote.
Lima City Council voted to refer a recent police incident at the downtown bar known as the 318 to the council’s Safety Services Committee and to authorize the law director and committee to issue subpoenas for all video of the incident.
The action followed several hours of public comment in which residents described conflicting accounts of what happened at 03:18 on Sept. 27. “I am sick and disgusted by the way LPD treated my family and I,” said Heather Simpson, a resident who urged the council to require independent investigations, stronger de‑escalation training and more transparency from the police department. Brian Irons, who said he had reviewed video, told the council: “What I witnessed on video was not deescalation. It was panic.”
Other speakers defended the police. Ray Magnus said he had reviewed multiple angles of the footage and that, in his view, “the LPD did what they were hired to do and what they were trained to do,” and questioned the basis for a lawsuit he said had been filed by an arrested patron.
Council leadership moved a two‑part action: to refer the 03/18 incident to the Safety Services Committee for review and to authorize the committee to work with the law director to issue subpoenas for all video related to the event. The sponsor of the motion (the council president) instructed the committee to pursue subpoenas “on penalty of minor misdemeanors for failure to comply.” The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
City staff and police briefed the council on complaint procedures. Major (chief) staff described the formal complaint process: a resident may call the department, pick up a complaint form at the front desk, complete and notarize it, and the department will assign a fact‑finding investigation to a shift commander; findings are forwarded to the chief, and the complainant receives a response.
The referral and subpoena authorization do not themselves determine culpability; they direct the committee to compile evidence and report back to full council. The Safety Services Committee will coordinate with the law director to collect video evidence and review investigative findings; the council recorded the motion as passed by voice vote with the president announcing the outcome in chamber.
Next steps: The Safety Services Committee will receive videos and investigative materials, and report back to council. The council did not set a public deadline for the committee’s report during the meeting.
