BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Linda Pope
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After more than a week of contentious debate, Cincinnati City Council agreed Saturday to pay for the funeral expenses of two slain police officers.
In a brief emergency meeting Saturday morning, council voted 6-1 to pay $12,500 to the widow of Officer Daniel Pope and $8,172 to the mother of his partner, Spc. Ronald Jeter.
"I'm relieved that council has finally decided to do the right thing," Councilman Todd Portune said. "It's not a budget issue. It's an issue of what's fair and decent."
Mrs. Pope and Spc. Jeter's mother, Brenda Collier, will receive their checks this week, he said.
The funeral expenses became an issue when Mrs. Pope said in a Sept. 25 Cincinnati Enquirer article that city officials had not followed through on their promise to pay for her husband's funeral. Officer Pope and Spc. Jeter were shot to death last December by a domestic-violence suspect in a Clifton Heights apartment.
Mrs. Pope, who did not attend the meeting, could not be reached for comment.
Mrs. Collier, of Columbus, said in a telephone interview that she appreciates council's action, although she doesn't remember any city official promising to pay for her son's funeral.
"But if they promised something, they ought to make it good," she said. "You have to keep your word."
Councilman Tyrone Yates cast the only "no" vote. He said the death benefits the city is providing Mrs. Pope are more than adequate to cover the funeral expenses.
She received an initial payout of about $200,000, including $20,000 in accordance with the city's labor agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police. Mrs. Pope also is entitled to initial annual survivor benefits of about $69,000.
Mr. Yates said he has much sympathy for the officers' families but thinks the city has already fulfilled its financial obligations to them.
"Council's action today was irresponsible," he said. "The citizens of Cincinnati surely know that we would not have stuck a widow with unpaid funeral bills. The benefits are very substantial and adequate."
Councilmen Phil Heimlich and Charlie Winburn, who co-sponsored the ordinance with Mr. Portune, were absent from Saturday's meeting because of previous commitments.
Councilman Jim Tarbell said he agreed with Mr. Yates. But he voted for the measure only to put the issue to rest so that council can focus its attention on other matters.
"This was not about being fair. This was about being held hostage," he said. "When you have an issue this emotional, you have to make a decision to get on with the regular business of the city."
Mrs. Pope said she had planned a small private funeral for her husband. But the city's emotional response to the deaths persuaded her to plan a larger funeral with full police honors.
She said Mr. Portune and other city officials promised to pay for her husband's funeral expenses and the travel expenses of her relatives. Some of her relatives flew from Alaska to attend the funeral.
Mr. Portune has said he recalls simply telling her that he would ask his colleagues on council about paying for the funeral and related expenses.
Mr. Portune also introduced an ordinance Saturday that would require the city to pay funeral and burial expenses for any city employee who dies in the line of duty. The proposal, requested by Mrs. Pope, was referred to council's Finance Committee.
"Hopefully, we can focus on what is the right thing to do if, God forbid, something like this happens again," he said.
City employees who are killed while serving the city deserve additional benefits for funeral expenses, Mr. Portune said.
Police Sgt. Christopher Ruehmer, who was Officer Pope's best friend, and Cincinnati District Fire Chief Paul Weber, who is Mrs. Pope's boss and a close family friend, attended Saturday's council meeting.
They said they're glad council is covering the funeral expenses, and they support the proposed ordinance.
"I hope this issue is resolved from this point forward," District Chief Weber said. "The city has a moral obligation to take care of its employees."
Council decided Friday afternoon to schedule the emergency meeting Saturday morning.
City Manager John Shirey said city officials didn't want to wait until Wednesday, its next regularly scheduled meeting, to resolve the issue.
"We felt the issue had dragged on too long in the news media," he said. "We felt we needed to put it behind us."
POPE - JETER PAGE
