Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson hosts

Mayor Frank Jackson will not swear-in Brandon Smith during a Cleveland Police swearing-in ceremony Monday.

( Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer))

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Mayor Frank Jackson will not swear-in a former East Cleveland police officer who lost his job for using excessive force.

The city is scheduled to swear in dozens of new officers at 1 p.m. today at City Hall.

The recruit in question is Brandon Smith, who in 2012 was a rookie on East Cleveland's police force when he riddled a car with bullets during a traffic stop. Smith and his partner said the woman behind the wheel tried to hit them with her car.

No one was injured, but East Cleveland officials deemed the use of force excessive.

"The situation warranted termination," East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton said Monday.

Smith will not become a full-fledged Cleveland police officer for now. He will retain his status as a recruit, according to a statement from Jackson's spokesman Dan Williams.

"This morning at the chief's cluster meeting, Mayor Frank G. Jackson was made aware of the issues surrounding recruit Brandon Smith," Williams said.

The advocacy group OrganizeCLE planned to protest the afternoon ceremony citing Smith's inclusion on the list of new officers.

Assistant Safety Director Tim Hennessey in late December spoke with CBS affiliate WOIO about Smith's history in East Cleveland.

"He'll be supervised closely during the six-month probationary period, as will all our new recruits," Hennessy told WOIO reporter Ed Gallek.