City leaders asked the Justice Department's Cincinnati FBI office to review the case, despite a preliminary Butler County coroner's report that said he died from swallowing a large amount of cocaine. The report also noted no marks on his body indicative of physical abuse.
Relatives, friends and neighbors of Russell Rodgers Jr. say police beat up the 25-year-old in jail. They also claim police did not seek medical help fast enough after suspecting he had swallowed crack cocaine.
City officials said police are innocent of any wrongdoing but want to allay residents' fears of a coverup by asking federal investigators to get involved.
The announcement did little to calm those who attended an emotional community meeting in Hamilton's Second Ward neighborhood Friday afternoon. Several of the more than 50 people shouted at city officials, including City Manager Hal Shepherd and Police Chief Simon Fluckiger.
''Nobody deserves to die like that,'' said Timothy Harris, of Hamilton, a friend of Mr. Rodgers. ''It's senseless. Why didn't they take him to the hospital right away?''
In addition to the Justice Department probe, the city also will investigate complaints that five police officers have been harassing residents of the Second Ward, a high-crime, low-income neighborhood of predominantly
African-American residents.
Mr. Shepherd said the five officers will be assigned to patrol other neighborhoods during the investigation.
Mr. Rodgers died Thursday at Fort Hamilton-Hughes Hospital after being on life support for about a week.
He had been arrested Aug. 1 after police stopped him for an alleged traffic violation and learned of a warrant for his arrest on a Hamilton County indictment for a charge of possession of crack cocaine.
The officers noticed a white substance on Mr. Rodgers' lips and teeth, the police report says, and he spit out two small pieces of cocaine. After two hours in a holding cell, he began having seizures. Police called an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
But Mr. Rodgers' relatives said he should have been taken to the hospital as soon as officers realized he had cocaine in his mouth.
''The police department killed him,'' said his aunt, Beatrice Watson, 30, of Hamilton.
''Even if he said he didn't have cocaine in his system, they should have taken him to the hospital as a precaution,'' added his girlfriend, Tia Frierson, 28, of Hamilton.
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Hotline
Citizens who wish to express their concerns or complaints about the police department may call 868-2048 from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. The number will be staffed by community volunteers.
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When Mr. Rodgers was arrested, Detective Dan Pratt said, Mr. Rodgers told officers he had not swallowed any cocaine. He refused to answer medical questions and he showed no signs of illness, the detective said.
''They saw no reason to take him to the hospital at that time.''
Mr. Rodgers' death has aggravated long-simmering tensions between Second Ward residents and police.
A disturbance erupted on Front Street Thursday night after a community meeting at Payne Chapel AME Church to address rumors of Mr. Rodgers' death. As a crowd - estimated by neighbors as 50 to 100 people - began gathering at the police department across the street, some people threw rocks at passing cars and police cruisers. No one was arrested. Five people suffered minor injuries.
Friday afternoon, residents shouted questions at Chief Fluckiger and Mr. Shepherd after they addressed the coroner's report and the previous night's disturbance.
Anthony Kirkland, 28, said white officers patrolling the Second Ward constantly harass black residents.
''If you have a loud stereo in your car, they'll search your car,'' he said. ''If you say anything about what they did, they'll slap you with a disorderly conduct charge.''
Mr. Rodgers' 15-year-old brother, Brandon Bembry, said Mr. Rodgers had a bruise under his left eye and a knot in the middle of his forehead when he visited his brother in the hospital. He said that was evidence of police brutality, even though the coroner's report says there were no marks on his body.
''We're fed up to here with this stuff and we're not going to take it anymore,'' said Mr. Rodgers' aunt, Faye Weaver, 50, of Hamilton. ''I'm not going to stand around and watch this happen to someone else's family.''
Chief Fluckiger, in a news release issued Friday, said the department has decided ''upon a positive and proactive plan of action to address the immediate issue.''
Community leaders and city officials were to ride with Hamilton officers Friday to address concerns of residents and get input from them.
FRIENDS WANT FULL REPORT
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HAMILTON POLICE FACE ANGRY CROWD August 8, 1997
