Cincinnati's police chief was fired Wednesday over concerns of the management and morale of the department, along with allegations that the he attempted to boost his image at the expense of his officers.
City Manager Harry Black portrayed Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell as a poor manager who belittled his staff and broke department rules in his memo to City Council explaining why he fired the chief, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Black claimed that Blackwell bugged his subordinates for free tickets to sporting events, improperly approved overtime for his favorite officers and treated other members of his staff so poorly that some of them sought psychological counseling.
The city manager also said the chief was a blatant self-promoter and pointed to one instance in which officers accused him this summer of stopping to take selfies with passersby during the funeral procession of fallen Officer Sonny Kim.
"Morale is at an unprecedented low level," Black wrote in the memo. "The general sentiment throughout the department is that Mr. Blackwell's leadership style has created a work environment of hostility and retaliation."
Blackwell told the newspaper that his lawyer would soon address the allegations made against him and would possibly file a lawsuit against the city.
Veteran Police Officer Eliot Isaac was sworn in as interim Cincinnati police chief at the City Council meeting on Wednesday.
"The Cincinnati Police Department will not go backwards during my time as interim chief," Isaac said after being sworn in. "We are going to fix those concerns."
