Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Accountability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident accuses police leadership of altering reports, calls for council action
Summary
During public comment, a resident alleged that the Police Department deleted online criticism, withheld investigation evidence and altered a police report to protect the chief, and urged the council to demand accountability and prevent retaliation; no response or vote followed at the meeting.
During the public-comment portion of the North Royalton Safety Committee meeting on Jan. 20, resident Sam Cruse made a series of allegations about the Police Department’s handling of complaints and an internal investigation.
Cruse said the Police Department removed critical comments from a public recruitment post and disabled public comments on the department’s Facebook page. He said an investigator who conducted a review "refuses to release any evidence to the Fraternal Order of Police or the public" and that the investigator acknowledged the Chief had altered a police report. "This is not transparency this is damage control," Cruse told the committee.
Cruse urged the council to act, and he said the mayor reviewed the investigation in less than a day and cleared the chief, which Cruse described as evidence the outcome was predetermined. He alleged there are rumors the chief is using city resources to investigate officers who shared information with an attorney, and he warned that retaliation against whistleblowers would be unacceptable. "It is time to hold our leadership accountable and restore the integrity to the City of North Royalton," he said.
No administration official offered a substantive response during the meeting; the allegations were raised in public comment and not the subject of a committee investigation at the Jan. 20 session.
