All right, catching up here Scots Loan seven hundred WLW Live. You heard the voice of Stephen m Attorney from the Finny Law Firm for Terry Thiji. She's on paid administrative leave as chief from the City of Cincinnati, standing behind in the civilian clothes, not speaking obviously, let the lawyer do the talking, for she's always smart. We've heard that Terry Thiji, a cops cop here, a long family cops and law enforcement in Cincinnati from the West Side, was
asked to resign. She refused because there's no cause. And on her thirty fifth anniversary of her start on the job as a police officer, she finds out that she's being put on paid administrative leave, meaning we're looking for reasons. Now, we don't have reason to fire you, we're looking for reasons, and we're going to put you on unpaid administrative leave. So what we got right now is a good old standoff. If she stays, she gets the authority to do her job.
If she goes, it's going to cost you and missus tax payer millions and millions of dollars that you can will afford. And it doesn't really solve the issue on this. With some instant reaction is the president of the Queen City Lodge of the FFP, that's Ken Kober, can appreciate you jumping in this morning.
Sure, thanks you to me. Step.
Looks like the no confidence vote you had for this administration really really stands up at this boy.
Doesn't it. Yeah. I mean they've fumbled this from the get go. You have the chief fly across the country only the land in Denver go to go to a conference representing the city in the police department, only to tell her to come home. And then I mean what we've seen over the last five days is just absolutely they fumbled this whole thing. It's terrible.
Well, in addition to that, the person they appointed chief, Henny, is the interim chief now and according to sheherlong city manager, she said he has my full support. I'm confident in his leadership. I don't know if he's doing the next chief, But this is the command officer who signed a citation against the white guy in the brawl in July at the urging of the mayor, which is purely political, not criminal.
Even though Henny wasn't on the scene. He ran the Central Business district and that had the high spike in crime this year. The optics of that are bad for the it gets. It goes from bad to worse for these guys.
Yeah, I'll tell you the optics are certainly not good. But I will say this about Colonel Henny. As you know that whole debackle, he was doing nothing but protecting investigators from having to do what they just said I'm not going to do. And instead of them facing the consequences for standing up to it, you know, he stepped in and he protected cops, which is something that we certainly all appreciate it.
Yeah, I agree with that from a cops perspective, like he got our backs. I'm not going to let the rank and file take the take the fall on this. But again I don't I don't know what the ethic. I think that's pretty unethical though, is that you're told by the mayor to do something. It's like, that's not how our justice system works. As much as these people spend complaining about Donald Trump, you just did the exact same thing that you're allegedly against. But I digress a
little bit. And the other thing too is if she were effective as chief, why would we have so much violent crime? I think that's The big question here is like, well, violent crime has continue to go up. The optics are bad on this. We have Fountain Square, had the shooting in front of the in between. It just keeps coming and coming and coming despite what we do. And yet it wasn't all long ago. He said, hey, you know
things are effective. She's doing a good job. I mean, if you're effective at something, we should have less violent crime, not more.
Well, this just proves what we know all along, and it proves what I've been saying all along, which is we need to keep politics out of policing. And when you have the city manager, the mayor who over over at city Hall, is telling her what she can and can't do, it's proving that that's failing. You know, Chiefdiji has the ability to be an effective police chief. Unfortunately she's not given that ability right now, and when she's told what to do by city Hall, she's told what
she can can't do. The end result is that this is what we have. And this is ultimately why you know, the rank and file voted for voting no confidence against the mayor, because they should allow the chief independently to do what she wants to do. And if she was screwing it up them then vile means do something about it. But the fact that they didn't fire their asking her to resign says everything you need to know.
Yeah, and this isn't her exit, this is about keeping yours with Steve im said, So she has no desire to go quietly. Actually she's going to go rather violently, and it's going to cost a lot of money to make her go away. I'm just wondering would the city give up authority because this is issue five. So let's talk about that the background, and that it came after Timothy Thomas was shot and killed in two thousand and one,
caused the riots. We had a charter amendment the issue that passed I believe in November that year with just over fifty percent of the vote. I think fifty fifty one fifty two percent. But essentially the issue five you've mentioned that a lot ken is that the city manager in this case, shere along has the power to hire and fire a police chief, fire chief, department heads at whim at will. And there's no balance in that whatsoever.
In the past, it used to be the FOP you guys had a little bit of a say in that you don't have that anymore. Is that what led to this?
Well, sure, you know, and ultimately with that passing allowing one person to have sole authority as to whether you fire a police chief or a fire chief. It's been proven with the fire chief. It's now been proven with what's going on with Chief Eage that this is a terrible idea. There has to be changes to Issue five otherwise we're going to continue to see the same thing.
It doesn't matter who you make the police chief. As long as city Hall still is making the decisions as to what's going to go on with the police department, this is what we're going to have.
Yeah, he's Ken Cobert, President the FOP. The reaction to Attorney Steve IM's press conference he heard live on seven hundred Wow and on the stream via the iHeart radio
app too, and that is saying we're fighting this. We're not going to let Terry Thiji take essentially be a sacrificial lamb is what he called her, and said, this stole thing is disappointing, and there's no justification or cause, which is a legal term, no cause because she took no action or inaction on her part to cause her termination or it looks like at least her suspension no wrongdoing, and they're going to fight this thing tooth and nail
and we'll see what happens. But relative to Issue five in this case, I had some notes here from back in the day in two thousand and one, the manager for Issue five that we're talking about here said, this is how other cities do it. And of course, you know, if other cities do it well, then it's got to be successful for Cincinnati. At the time, your predecessor, Keith Fegman, remember Keith Keith was the fop P president, and said, what's going to happen is it's going to politicize departments.
What's going to happen is you're going to have politicians making decisions of law enforcement. And anytime that the something happens it's bad, the chief is going to be a sacrificial and we'll have a revolving door. And in that case he illustrated the Cleveland when they implemented this, they went through nine police chiefs, I believe in less than eight years because of the system. And now Terry Fiji's gone after what three not quite three we had a
chief before them. It's just going to be a revolving door because the political will power exists and there's cover of politically speaking to terminate the chief when in fact it's not the chief. It's kind of like our foot our sports teams can it's it's never the coach, the assistant coach, the line cut, it's always the ownership in the front office. That's what he's saying without a doubt.
I mean, Keith, he was spot on when he said it. That was twenty four years ago. We saw it with James Craig. He was the first chief to hire outside this police department. The rank and file loved him. He refused the cave to pressure from city Hall and after two years they went thanks, but no thanks for gone. You know, we got another chief that came in, made it eighteen months they fired him. So this is no surprise that this is all coming to fruition and it needs a change.
Can this change before you overturn issue Fiation five? I'd have to go back on the ballot. You'd have to figure out how to work around that. Because there was a charter amendment that passed in two thousand and one, A lot of work to overdo that, and the will of the voters, of course, but can Chief thee Is there room for her to come back and do her job?
I don't know why she'd want to at this point, the way that she's been treated. I mean, you treat somebody as thirty five years you've given to the city, and this is how you're being treated. And I can tell you right now the cops are going if they're going to do this to the chief, what will they do to me? I don't know why you would want to come back. I just don't see a scenario where that happens, because then she's going to be constantly looking at her shoulder. What are they going to do to
me next? I feel for them, Like I said, this is this fight with the FOP in the city is just as much about Chief Figi as it is for the next chief, for the chief after that, the chief fifty years from now. There has got to be change made. And if I have to put all the effort in the world to the FOP to make sure that Issue five is changed, and that's exactly what we're going to do.
Ken Kober, the name that was mentioned that caused Steve m to just simply pause, consider it and then say, I can't comment on that was the name Iris Rawley, how much? How many fingerprints are on this? Her fingerprints are on what's happening right now?
You know, it's hard saying it wouldn't surprise me. But the problem is there was no transparency at city hall. That is the absolute problem. You had the mayor say after the press conference that we're exploring all options. We're not sure if if the chief's going to stay or not, and then all of a sudden, you know, nothing happens. And then the mayor comes out and says, oh, this is show a Long's decision. It's not my decision, it's hers. And of course then she makes the decision. Oh, I
completely support her decision. It's just the lack of transparency is staggering coming from city Hall.
Well, the fact of the matter, she goes to Denver, she gets recalled, there's an urgent message, there's an urgent issue in Cincinnati. We already had the Fountain Square shootings at this point. She's off to Denver. She comes back and now they go, well, we're going to suspend, you'll put you on paid leave. Why, Well, we can't say, we don't know, but here's the interim chief, and this
whole thing has been handled so poorly. In drag, Effer said, but it's decision after decision like this, you know, like when way after food carts and red bikes, in breaking up the probation departments, all these things that actually made crime worse or had no impact on whatsoever. And now ultimately the last thing they have, the last quiver in
their arsenal, is firing the chief. And I'll point out ken I read this earlier in the show, and I think it's worth pointing out again that when she was hired in twenty twenty two to replace Elliott Isaac, she was an executive assistant chief, first woman to lead the department, and she said in her first interview or her swearing in her priorities upon taking off us, We're dedicated to ensuring CPD is as inclusive as possible, and I'm committed
wholeheartedly to continue the work of the collaborative agreement. That sounds like someone who's saying that because she know how she got the job, Like those are the marching orders she was given by the administration as opposed to well, dealing with street level crime.
Yeah, absolutely, you know, it's funny how this is all transpiring. Now, It's like making an arrest and then deciding what the crime is. I mean, that's literally, that's how ridiculous this is. We're gonna put you on leave until we can figure out why it is that we're actually going to fire you, and then we're going to do it. It's absolutely nonsense.
And the rank and file recognizes that. You're regardless of how they feel about her as the chief, how they feel about her as a police officer, none of that matters the rank and files when this is at right to treat somebody this way. And that's why I said that the police department of the rank and file has certainly been united over this.
Well, it's a terrible thing, and that normally, if you're looking to get rid of somebody, and I've worked for places and work for places where they're always looking to you know, cut, cut some baggage, lose, they build a file. They go, okay, well this person is doing this. Okay, we've got a file. We've got to and you build a history so that if you have to terminate someone, you can point to that and go it's not discrimination, it's for cause. Here's the causes. They don't have that here.
They suspended her paid administrative leave, and now they're looking for reasons to go back and say, here's why we put you on leave. And this could go on for weeks and weeks and weeks to try and funds find some dirt on Terry Thiji that may or may not probably doesn't exist because you would have.
Had this stuff already, right exactly.
And I guess it does have a chilling effect in police officers. But you know, we also mentioned that the city just went in their pocket for money, even more money, another four and a half million dollars to pay police officer try and recruit police office because as you know, and you often said, were what one hundred and thirty to one hundred and fifty cops down? Which is also part of the problem too, because we spent money out of the other stupid things getting keeping boots on the ground.
But what does that due to recruitment efforts? And Simmon sees this from I don't know, we're talking about lateral recruitments, meaning you're stealing cops from other jurisdictions, go come to shiny, sunny Cincinnati and work here. It's great, how does that undermine the cause that you're trying to do, and that is getting more cops signed up, not less. This to me sounds like it make cops want to leave, not to stay.
Without a doubt, I mean it is. It is certainly going to have a devastating effect on retention because we're going to see even more people say, as they get twenty five years on that leave and then anybody that actually pays to pays attention to the media, Uh, they're not gonna want to come here. So it's gonna it's
gonna also affect recruiting. And it's just every time we finally get out of the news over the you know, the attack at Fourth and Elm and how that was handled, and we finally get passed out and then now we have this, and it's just unfortunately City Hall seems to not be able to get out of their way when it comes to, uh, dealing with these issues. And it's certainly going to have a terrible impact on recruitment and retention.
How long you think this drags out, what's your gut say?
Who knows? I mean weeks? Who knows? I mean it's already drug out five or six days. I just who knows. I hope it ends quickly. It's what the men and women of this police department deserve, it's what the residents deserve. So just to be handled very quickly and let's move on whatever that looks like, whether it's her coming back, her not coming back, they need to resolve this very very quickly.
I know the rank and file weren't enamored with Terry Thiji, but man, what the city just did is solidify every man and woman on that thin blue or white line as it is in Cincinnati, on her side. This is incredible.
Yeah, without a doubt.
He is Ken Kobert. He is the president of the Cincinnati Lodge at the FOP joint of the show with his reaction following the press conference involving Terry Figi's administrative paid administrative leaves. They look for reasons to fire her, supposed to having reasons. Now we're gonna put you on leave, pay you, and then look for is to fire you. That's completely as backwards as it gets for any big city, or any city in America for that matter. But that's
our town, that is Cincinnati, USA. Can all the best be safe? Thanks again?
All right, thanks very much, Scott News.
On the way. We'll shift it up a little bit here. Tim Holloway is the president of the Hamlin County Associations of Chiefs the Police. His reaction to this and also some of the areas that were pointed out in the press conference to get a chance to get to and that would be judge's role in this whole thing, and the accusation by Steve Im that Aftaed Pirrival won't engage county judges to force them to get tougher when it comes to bond and releasing people who are violent criminals
on their own recognizance. Chief Holloway his reaction next seven hundred WWT, Cincinnati