City manager recommends Isaac for police chief

Note: Vote on the city's approach to finding the new police chief at the bottom of this story.Cincinnati City Manager Harry Black Friday recommended interim police chief Eliot Isaac get the job permanently - but promised a thorough public vetting before any final decision is made.

Under the city's charter, the choice is Black's to make. He pledged not to name him if there is overwhelming opposition.

"With a position of this magnitude, it would not be prudent to proceed without an exhaustively inclusive process," Black said. "I've had numerous meetings with various stakeholders throughout the city. We have initiated very comprehensive surveys and based on all of this feedback and my own observations, Chief Isaac is the right person to lead the Cincinnati Police Department."

Kathy Harrell, president of the police union, said she and the department support Isaac as chief.

"I think he'll do an excellent job, he has over 25 years experience," Harrell said. "He's been here through two outside chiefs. He understands the concerns. He is in a good position to move us forward and get us beyond this."

Isaac, 49, of Forest Park, has spent 26 years as a Cincinnati police officer. The long-serving captain had been an assistant chief for two months when he was named interim chief in September. The city's chief oversees a department of 1,200 employees and a budget of $130 million. The next chief will oversee the the roll out of body cameras.

"Given this opportunity, I will use this position to collectively work with all facets of the community to further impact the social conditions that devastate some of our neighborhoods," Isaac said.

During his career Isaac has played a key role during and following the 2001 riots that followed a police officer’s shooting of an unarmed black man, overseeing use-of-force complaints against officers in the months that followed and helping mend many fences as a black law-enforcement officer operating in a racially torn city. He has experience in community policing and said he embraces the model, but not at the expense of keeping neighborhoods safe.

"He's lived here, he came up through the ranks," Harrell said. "Isaac has been though everything with us."

Next step for Isaac will be a public hearing before the Law and Public Safety Committee on Monday at noon. Isaac will also meet privately with five panels representing Cincinnati community, CPD staff, clergy, business community and sentinels.

Isaac has been the interim chief since Black fired former chief Jeffrey Blackwell in September saying in paperwork that the chief was a poor manager who belittled his staff and broke department rules. He said Blackwell badgered underlings for free tickets to sporting events, improperly approved overtime for his favorite officers and treated other staff members so badly they sought psychological counseling.

Black: "Chief Isaac is the right person to lead the Cincinnati Police Department." — Rebecca Butts (@Rebelee_92) November 13, 2015

Not everyone was happy about the decision to fire Blackwell, prompting a contentious City Council meeting where Blackwell's supporters spoke on his behalf.

"...the appointment of Cincinnati's next police chief is of the utmost importance in terms of the safety and vitality of the entire city," Black wrote in a memo to Council Monday. "That is why I am making every effort to receive as much feedback and input from a diverse segment of stakeholders as possible."

Black told The Enquirer Monday he hopes to fill the job by the end of the year.

The choice comes on the heels of a community survey that showed Cincinnatians want their next police chief to be from Cincinnati - and be invested in community policing.

Early on in the selection process, there was discussion about a national search. But the job was never posted.

The city's last two police chiefs came from outside the city, the first time in 30 years the city chose an outsider. But inside City Hall and in the survey, there is a push that the candidate be homegrown.

Harrell said a national search isn't needed. "We've done it and it didn't work," she said.

Black said making a selection soon is important for stability. Two vacant assistant chief positions can't be filled until the top cop has been chosen. Top command is working to decrease a rise in shootings this year.

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