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Residents urge removal of Police Chief Keith Tarase amid allegations of altered report; committee pauses action
Summary
Residents told North Royalton—ity—ouncil—ommittee on Nov. 18 that Police Chief Keith Tarase should be placed on administrative leave or removed amid allegations a police report was altered; the Safety Committee heard extended public comment but took no disciplinary action and deferred further steps to legal and the mayor.
A group of North Royalton residents used the Nov. 18 Safety Committee meeting to demand action against Police Chief Keith Tarase, alleging he tampered with a police report in a case involving an Orange Village deputy chief and urging the mayor or council to place him on administrative leave or remove him.
"He—an tamper with more evidence while this is going on...It doesn—eel right that Officer Lowe has to work with him daily," resident Nicolle Cruse told the committee, citing what she described as a pattern of disparate discipline within the department. Cruse cited prior personnel actions — including a 30-day unpaid suspension for Lucinda Barber for a records incident and the placement of other officers on leave in separate investigations — and said those precedents make the chief—eing in office during the current probe feel unfair.
Several speakers echoed those concerns. Fourteen-year-old Savannah Cruse praised Officer Spencer Lowe for reporting that a report had been altered and asked why the chief had not been placed on leave while the investigation proceeds. Resident Edward Jacak said the proper response would include a full investigation and, if warranted, prosecution, while urging the council to uphold community standards and protect whistleblowers.
Law Director Tom Kelly told the audience the mayor was following the investigatory process and waiting for the results before taking action. "He nd the administration are waiting for the results of the investigation to come back," Kelly said, urging patience with the legal process. Chief Tarase responded to the public comments by saying he disagreed with the allegations but acknowledged he "probably should have been placed on administrative leave" as a fairness matter, adding that prior labor claims against him had been dismissed.
Vice Chair Heidi Webber said the committee was in a difficult position with the mayor absent and suggested giving the legal department and the mayor time to review the situation. Committee member John Nickell cautioned against committee statements that could create legal exposure, saying the body must be careful in a "litigious society."
The committee did not take disciplinary action during the meeting. An attempt to adjourn mid-discussion was recorded in the transcript as failing; the meeting later adjourned at 6:59 p.m.
What happens next is procedural: the internal investigation noted in public comment remains ongoing, Mayor Antoskiewicz was recorded as ill and absent from the Nov. 18 meeting, and the Safety Committee deferred further action while legal and the mayor review the matter. Residents at the meeting urged the mayor and council to weigh removal or administrative leave as interim steps while the investigation continues.
