BY SUSAN VELA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FALMOUTH -- When a veteran police officer admitted using racial slurs in a public restaurant, city officials here responded by planning a course on ethnic intimidation.
The officer in question has been on paid leave since Oct. 15. However, a representative from the agency conducting the Nov. 9 and 10 sessions for city police officers, firefighters, dispatchers and other employees wonders if they will help.
"Legally, yes. Heartwise, I doubt it," said Steve Arnold, community relations specialists for Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Mount Auburn. "We can't change peoples' hearts but we can put some accountability in the picture."
The training sessions will focus on the law, promote dialogue and try to make city employees aware of their racial stereotypes. Falmouth has about 2,400 residents. Less than 2 percent are African-American and none are employed by the city.
City Manager Steven Hasson said there was a need for the sessions earlier this month.
A Falmouth woman told him she overheard four city representatives -- Assistant Police Chief James Hamilton, Police Sgt. Chip Jones, volunteer firefighter Brad Crouch, and Fire Chief Marty Hart, who also serves as a police officer -- using racial slurs and talking about burning crosses.
Assistant Chief Hamilton, an 18-year police veteran, denied making such a statement. But he acknowledged making racial slurs. The other city representatives reported to have taken part in the conversation remain on the job.
Mayor Max Goldberg is expected to decide on Assistant Chief Hamilton's state of employment early this week. Mr. Hasson and Police Chief Greg Reis spent the past week conducting an investigation into the matter.
While it continues, some city officials are hoping the ethnic intimidation courses will ward off perceptions that Falmouth is prejudiced.
"I want to look (people) in the eye and say they're not going to find (any discrimination)," Mr. Hasson said. Police officers and government employees "have to be extraordinarily neutral because everyone is paying tax dollars and deserves the same level of service."
The November sessions will not be mandatory. But city employees will receive a "strongly-worded letter of encouragement" to attend, Mr. Hasson said.
Chief Reis also said the sessions could help the community. "We're always open to any kind of new training," he said, noting that the department's 10 officers have gone through annual sessions on how to handle hate crimes for several years.
Skipp Taylor, an African-American who was born in Falmouth, is eager to see the results of the training sessions. City representatives who make racial slurs in public can affect the city's entire African-American community, he said.
"Of course, they're affected," he said. "When you've got pillars of the community making slurs, that's no good."
HOME was founded in 1958. Since 1996, the agency has trained municipal employees and 2,000 police officers on how to handle ethnic intimidation cases. Any situation that makes people feel unwelcome in their home of choice is a fair housing matter, Mr. Arnold said.
He does not have statistics of ethnic intimidation in Northern Kentucky. However, he noted Cincinnati residents report ethnic intimidation incidents about 10 times a month. Seventy percent are valid, he said.
The training sessions will feature videos of actual police officers responding to reports of ethnic intimidation.
"It's what they should and shouldn't do," Mr. Arnold said. "It's more about doing the job right."
