The Circleville Police Department has been in the regional news for the past few weeks so much so that there has been a new headline nearly every week, so here is the latest.
According to a statement from City Hall, Acting Police Chief Don Davis was suspended with pay Monday due to alleged employee misconduct.
As to who is in charge of CPD, City Hall issued a statement that said CPD is “in the capable hands of experienced leaders within the agency. The city took this action in order to protect the integrity of the department while the investigation is ongoing.”
Sgt. Kenny Fisher was sworn in as Acting Police Chief on Tuesday morning.
Moreover, the Ohio Auditor’s office and the Ohio Attorney General’s Ohio Police Officer Training Academy are now investigating CPD.
When the Herald reached out to Mayor Michelle Blanton for comment, she had no additional comment on the ongoing investigations.
That’s not the end of the story though — former City Safety Director Steven Wilkinson explained in no uncertain terms why he thinks he was fired March 15 after about a week on the job. Wilkinson was the third safety director hired by City Hall within the last two years.
“Three safety directors have been asked to resign or terminated in the past two years — the common denominator attempting to hold the police department accountable,” Wilkinson said during his speech to City Council on March 19. “I was terminated for blowing the whistle on past misconduct, and Michelle’s lack of courage to address misconduct within the police department.”
Wilkinson said Davis was on the Brady List in Common Pleas Court for giving false testimony and falsified police report statements.
The Brady List is the definitive public-facing platform of record for information about police misconduct, decertification, public complaints, use-of-force reports, do-not-call listings, and more potential impeachment disclosures.
“Davis is on the Brady List in Common Pleas Court for giving false testimony, falsifying police reports, manufactured evidence, and using race as a basic for as the basis for a traffic stop — no investigation has ever been initiated in these into Deputy Circleville Police Chief (Doug) Davis. That is required by policy,” he said.
In January of 2022, Deputy Chief Davis returned to duty after being “exonerated” after an internal affairs investigation following complaints about search warrants that occurred in February 2022 and a traffic stop on July 17, 2021. The complaints involved improper searching and complaints of racial profiling. Davis was placed on administrative leave with pay on April 11, 2022 but returned to duty in January of 2023.
The online version of this story contains a link to a story about Wilkinson’s remarks to City Council.
But that’s not all — Police Chief Shawn Baer was placed on administrative leave March 11 while the city investigates allegations of misconduct. Online version of this story contains a link to the Herald’s story about Baer being suspended.
According to a letter obtained by the Circleville Herald that Blanton sent to Baer on March 11, Baer allegedly harassed, intimidated, retaliated against, threatened to discipline someone, misusing his position, filed improper expenditures, failed to adhere to deadlines on the job, as well as committed time-keeping violations.
According to media reports, as Baer was leaving his office, Blanton asked him for his service pistol and other items from his desk. Pickaway County Sheriff Matthew Hafey confiscated Baer’s gun before taking him home.
And then there’s this — four CPD auxiliary officers have been placed on leave by the state because they failed to complete state-mandated training. According to ABC6 News, state records show that Jason Bliss left CPD on March 20 and Joshua Johnson left on Jan. 30. Though the state still lists Officers Thad Hicks and William Moore as being with CPD, City Hall’s online police roster does not list them.
Wilkinson’s speech touched on topics arising from state-mandated training.
Most Popular
Comments / 0