steve loomis.JPG

The Cleveland Community Police Commission asked one of its members, Cleveland police union president Steve Loomis, to resign from his position on the commission.

(Plain Dealer file photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ten members of a commission set up to oversee reform of Cleveland's police department have asked the president of the department's largest union to step down from the commission.

The members asked Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association President Steve Loomis to voluntarily resign from the Cleveland Community Police Commission due to repeated absences from committee meetings. The commission could appoint another member of the union that represents rank-and-file officers to replace Loomis if he resigns, the members said in a statement.

Three of the commission's 13 members did not sign the Nov. 2 letter addressed to Loomis: Loomis, criminal defense and civil rights lawyer Gordon Friedman and social worker LaToya Logan. Friedman and Logan were appointed to the commission earlier this week to fill vacancies.

The other members of the commission sent letters to Loomis, Mayor Frank Jackson, U.S Northern District Attorney Carole Rendon, consent decree monitor Matthew Barge and U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver, who presides over the consent decree.

"We believe it is in the best interest of the CPC and the CPPA to have a union representative actively present at Commission meetings, respectfully voicing CPPA interests and concerns," the other commission members said in the statement.

Loomis in a text message to cleveland.com criticized the commission's co-chair Rhonda Williams and did not say if he planned to resign from the commission. Loomis told the commission he will not resign, commission members said in the letter to court officials.

The letters released Friday say Loomis has missed 10 full meetings since Jan. 27. He also missed all meetings related to improving the department's technology and budget meetings, according to the letters.

"We recognize that every CPC member has other professional and personal obligations which prevent them from attending every CPC meeting," commission members said in the letter addressed to Loomis. "However, you are the only Commissioner who has consistently missed required meetings for many months, thereby not fulfilling Commission responsibilities."

Former commission member Max Rodas resigned after missing meetings, the members said in the letters.

Community leaders have also asked for Loomis to resign from the commission.

In a series of letters, the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP, the Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network, Cleveland Peace Action and others contended that Loomis stands in the way of reform by publicly arguing against parts of the consent decree that address police use-of-force and seek to establish Constitutional policing in Cleveland.

The groups made the recommendation after Loomis held a vote on the union's presidential endorsement. The union voted to endorse President-elect Donald Trump for president.

The vote to endorse President-elect Donald Trump was the first in the union's history. Lynn Hampton, the president of the Cleveland police Blank Shield union that represents minority officers and a member of the commission, along with other community organizations called for Loomis to rescind the controversial endorsement and to step down from the Community Police Commission.

The commissioners said they acknowledge Loomis' and the union's rights to endorse whomever they want. But they wrote that they are concerned that Loomis supports "agendas that are unambiguously in support of unconstitutional policing practices and are directly contrary to a commitment in advancing constitutional policing, community problem-oriented policing, and/or community trust and legitimacy."

The commission cited a cleveland.com article in which Loomis said the police union's attorneys are looking to see if it's possible to change the consent decree following Trump's election.

They're also seeking to revise procedures for placing officers on the commission. The consent decree mandates that representative of the CPPA, the Fraternal Order of Police and the Black Shield hold seats on the commission.

The letter also cites a Cleveland Scene story that quoted Loomis saying: "I appointed myself because I would not subject one of my members to that farce of a Commission."

The commission is asking for clarification from the Jackson and Oliver on how to request the removal of a commission member. There is not a system in place for removing commission members without a voluntary resignation.

They are also asking approval from the court to subject the police representatives appointed to the commission to go through a similar process as the civilian commissioners. Civilian members went through an application process that included background checks and other measures.

Loomis was issued a six-day suspension Nov. 10 for an altercation at the union hall and is being investigated by internal affairs for wearing a police uniform to an Aug. 22 Trump rally in Akron. The suspension was announced eight days after commission members sent Loomis the letter asking him to resign.