Cleveland police car 6

An arbitrator said a Cleveland police officer who admitted to sexting crime victims and visiting women while on the job should keep his job.

(File Photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- City officials fired police officer Vincent Lucarelli after the 12-year veteran admitted to "sexting" with crime victims and visiting women while on duty. But an arbitrator ordered the city to rehire him.

Mayor Frank Jackson on Friday said the arbitration process involved in punishing officers has been an obstacle in attempts to reform the department.

An arbitrator let Lucarelli keep his job after the officers admitted that he kissed and touched women inside a police car and tried to have relationships with a total of seven women -- six of whom were crime victims -- over five months in 2012.

The city appealed the arbitrator's ruling, according to records, and that case is still pending.

The incidents were brought to light during a criminal investigation into Brenda Bickerstaff, a private investigator who police accused of intimidating a witness. Eight thousand of that witness's text messages were subpoenaed -- including sexts exchanged between her and Lucarelli. From there, an internal affairs investigation linked six other women to Lucarelli.

The exchanges all took place between January and May 2012. Some of the alleged relationships went no further than "harmless flirting," while others turned sexual.

Lucarelli began texting one woman about a burglary she reported. These messages progressed into sexting. Lucarelli told her that he wanted to come to her house and have sex with her.

The officer started a sexual relationship with another woman three years after Cleveland police investigated a crime committed against her. Lucarelli admitted he visited the woman while on the clock and gave her money to support her children.

Investigators said all of the relationships were consensual, though one woman admitted she was intimidated by Lucarelli's advances.

The city cited the seriousness of Lucarelli's violations as justification for firing him. It also emphasized that this wasn't a one-time gaffe, but a clear pattern of behavior.

The city propped up its decision with additional rules Lucarelli broke, including when he took a side security job without the department's approval; that he failed to appear at a disciplinary hearing; and that he used a city vehicle to pick up his neighbor from her job in Beachwood.

The Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association stood behind Lucarelli and argued that termination was too harsh, given that other officers who committed more serious violations were allowed to keep their jobs. The union also contended that none of Lucarelli's actions were illegal, nor did they compromise any criminal investigations.

Lucarelli blamed his misconduct on problems in his marriage, which caused him to spiral out of control. He said his "abandonment or loyalty issues" clouded his professional judgment.

Arbitrator Gary W. Spring in his decision reprimanded Lucarelli for his compulsive texting and negligence in doing his job. But he ultimately ruled that the officer deserved a "second and last chance."

Lucarelli was put on unpaid suspension until further notice. The arbitrator recommended a year of counseling for his marriage woes, his addiction to sexting and his "overzealous pursuit of sexual romance."

After the arbitrator's ruling in January 2013, Bickerstaff -- the private investigator whose criminal charges first linked Lucarelli to these incidents -- sued the city, the police department and Lucarelli. That case is pending in federal court.

Bickerstaff's lawsuit says that not only did Lucarelli sext crime victims, but he also sent nude photos of at least two women to other police officers. She also accuses other officers of helping Lucarelli cover up an incident when he assaulted someone he was arresting.

In one of the text exchanges, Lucarelli said that he stole a pair of his girlfriend's underwear and placed them in the desk drawer of a fellow officer.

"I had her pick lace panties in (your) drawer, but you got sick so I took them back. That was gonna be funny," Lucarelli wrote.

"LOL, real funny..." the officer wrote in response.

A complaint accuses the city of failing to adequately investigate Lucarelli's misconduct, which according to her lawsuit is more egregious than what was outlined in the arbitration case.