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Resident urges North Royalton council to investigate police chief amid allegations of altered reports
Summary
At a Jan. 20 council meeting a resident alleged the police chief altered reports and fostered a hostile workplace and asked council to open its own investigation; the mayor’s office says a Hofelich report cleared the chief, and council took no formal action.
Michael Beck, a North Royalton resident, called on the City Council on Jan. 20 to open an investigation into Police Chief Keith Tarase, alleging the chief altered official police reports and fostered a hostile work environment.
Beck, who identified himself as living at 6673 Tudor Circle, said he has lost trust in the mayor and police leadership and urged the council to review investigations and publish findings. “I am here to protest the Police Chief's handling of official police reports and fostering a hostile workplace environment as suggested by his officers,” Beck said during his remarks.
Why it matters: Beck’s allegations, if substantiated, would raise questions about report integrity and the department’s internal practices and could affect public trust and recruitment for the police force.
Context provided at the meeting: Law Director Tom Kelly read a statement from Mayor Antoskiewicz saying he accepted the findings of the Hofelich report, which the mayor says found Patrolman Lowe’s allegations unfounded and cleared the chief and a lieutenant. According to the statement read by Kelly, the report was forwarded to the County Prosecutor and the mayor considered the investigation closed.
Chief Keith Tarase addressed a related topic earlier in the meeting about the police department’s Facebook page. Tarase said the department was advised that it could not selectively block commenters, that comments are controlled per post and that some older posts still permit comments on attached pictures or tags. He told council staff and members that repeated identical comments — which he said could be bots — have appeared on many old posts and that those comments have harmed recruitment and the department’s public image.
Tom Kelly also cautioned council members that public accusations by private citizens do not carry the limited legal immunity that elected trustees have, and warned of potential litigation risk for defamatory statements.
What the council did: Council members did not vote to open an inquiry or initiate any investigation at the Jan. 20 meeting. The meeting record shows no motion or directive from council to pursue an independent review of the allegations presented by Beck.
Next steps noted at the meeting: No formal action or timeline was set by council regarding Beck’s request. The meeting record closes with routine business and adjournment at 8:46 p.m.
