BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT WRIGHT -- Charges filed against embattled Police Chief Mark Brown depict a man who routinely screamed at his officers, threatened a superior with abusive language and was obsessed with a relationship between a male and female officer.
As a result of Chief Brown's alleged behavior, charges of inefficiency, abusive or obscene language, immoral or improper conduct and discourtesy to the public or fellow employees were filed against Fort Wright's police chief on June 11.
Fort Wright officials released the charges Wednesday, after The Cincinnati Enquirer requested them under Kentucky's Open Records law.
Four days after Mayor Cindy Pinto reviewed the charges against the chief whom city officials described as her friend, and suspended him without pay, she resigned her $2,400-a-year mayor's post. With Mrs. Pinto's resignation Monday, a Saturday disciplinary hearing for Chief Brown has been canceled. Whether the hearing called at Mrs. Pinto's request is rescheduled depends on who replaces her as mayor.
Reached at his home Wednesday, Chief Brown declined to respond to the allegations.
"I'd love to talk about it, but I can't," Chief Brown said. "I could risk more charges, because I'm under a gag order from the city administration not to talk about it."
In his charges against Chief Brown, City Administrator Marc Bergman wrote that police told him the chief routinely screamed at officers during meetings.
Mr. Bergman wrote that Chief Brown admitted he often screamed at officers to make a point, and he said he had told his officers at a staff meeting that he would try to stop screaming so much.
Fort Wright's city administrator also wrote in his June 9 letter to Mrs. Pinto that:
After Mr. Bergman met with Mrs. Pinto and Officer Julie Walker on May 8 to discuss Officer Walker's request to fire two officers, Chief Brown was upset when Mr. Bergman said he could not discuss what had transpired in the meeting. Mr. Bergman wrote that Chief Brown screamed, "You are not protecting me," and pounded Mr. Bergman's desk with such force that a soft drink the chief was holding splattered.
Later on May 8, Chief Brown told Officer Walker: "If need be, I will ask for your firing," after Officer Walker told the chief that she had overheard him talk to another officer about her earlier meeting with Mr. Bergman and Mrs. Pinto, despite his denial. This information was reported by Mr. Bergman, who said that he and another officer witnessed the encounter.
Ms. Walker resigned from the police department on May 11, saying she felt forced to do so because of the discriminatory environment and because the chief had verbally attacked her. She said she feared for her job and her physical well-being.
A month later, Mayor Pinto reported the city ended its investigation into Officer Walker's claims she was being harassed by two officers, citing a lack of evidence to corroborate her claims of harassment and retaliation. The mayor's statement never mentioned Ms. Walker's claims about the chief, but the chief did not report back to work and eventually was suspended.
Mr. Bergman also attached excerpts from a taped meeting on Feb. 11 between the chief, Officer Amy Peeden and Officer Walker at which Chief Brown made statements that Mr. Bergman considered abusive and obscene. Chief Brown responded that others at the meeting also used coarse language and that his language was no different from what other officers commonly use, Mr. Bergman wrote.
During his investigation, Mr. Bergman wrote he was told by two officers who were engaged -- Officer Peeden and Officer Mark Schworer -- that Chief Brown "constantly discussed their relationship in a negative vein and seemed obsessed about the relationship." Mr. Bergman wrote the chief said he had concerns about the relationship and that he deliberately scheduled the two officers' off days to discourage the relationship.
"This practice ended when he was made aware of the possibility of a discrimination suit by Officer Peeden," Mr. Bergman wrote. The chief allegedly authorized officers in his department to tape office conversations without the consent of those being taped. In most cases, male officers were secretly taping female officers, Mr. Bergman wrote. The reasons were not disclosed and Mr. Bergman said Wednesday that he could not elaborate because of a state law protecting police facing pending disciplinary charges. Mrs. Pinto had scheduled Saturday's disciplinary hearing to get input on the charges against Chief Brown, even though it is not required by law. In a Kentucky city with a mayor-council form of government, the mayor has the sole authority to hire, fire and discipline employees.
On Tuesday, council named seven-year member Paul Hiltz as mayor pro tem, until it can name a permanent replacement for Mrs. Pinto. A meeting to choose a new mayor could be held as early as next week, when a vacationing council member returns, or council could wait until its regular July 1 meeting to choose Fort Wright's next mayor, Mr. Bergman said.
