Tuesday, May 25, 1999
Police training staff angry at director
Failing recruits get another chance
BY TANYA BRICKING
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Three members of the Cincinnati police academy's training staff have asked to be transferred because they disagree with the new training commander about letting five failing recruits take a test to graduate.
Four recruits in the 52-member class are below the required 70 percent average for written work, and one has not passed the physical exam because he was not able to run 11/2 miles in the allotted time.
Under city guidelines, those are grounds for dismissal.
But there's still a chance the recruits will be able to graduate June 11 because Ted Schoch, a retired assistant chief who now leads police academy training, wants to give them another chance.
The four recruits who are failing the written portion will be allowed to take the state test Wednesday to be eligible to become certified police officers, Mr. Schoch said.
If they pass, they will have two weeks to demonstrate they have mastered their problem areas and retest for the city in time for graduation, he said.
Any recruit who fails the state test also has an opportunity to take the same test a week later.
“If these people cannot cut the mustard, they won't get through,” Mr. Schoch said. “I have to sign off on these people, and I'm not going to sign off on an inferior product.”
This is Mr. Schoch's first class as training director, although he spent the first few months of the 22-week training away from the academy because he filled in as interim police chief before Thomas Streicher Jr. became chief. Chief Streicher could not be reached for comment.
Until now, recruits with failing grades have not been able to take the state test, said Lt. Steven Sarver, a training supervisor who is among those asking for a transfer out of the training unit.
Other members of the training staff declined to comment publicly. None of the five recruits reached Monday by The Cincinnati Enquirer wanted to comment.
Recruit Todd Pierson has not passed the physical requirement. Recruits Marcus McNeil, Nickie Nanavati, Curtis Walker and Michelle Cameron have written scores below 70 percent.
The four men and one woman are all below age 34 and among the 18 black recruits in the class.
The police division has a goal of being 34 percent black and 23 percent female, but Mr. Schoch said that has nothing to do with giving these recruits another chance to make it.
“I want to make sure that people get a fair shot,” he said.
The heart of the issue should be about fairness and looking at the total picture of the recruit rather than their performance in one area, Mr. Schoch said.
The city already has invested a substantial amount of money in the recruits, who make about $26,000 in their recruit year, he said.
When presented with the information about the recruits, Keith Fangman, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), said the city's standards are in a written contract with recruits and should be followed.
“I think many of us in the FOP would be concerned if recruits failed out of the academy but were allowed to graduate anyway,” he said. “We lose all credibility as a police division by lowering our standards.”
The city should be worried about increased liability if it allows failing recruits to graduate and carry a gun and a badge, he said.
“I have been made aware that a significant number of police officers who work at the training academy are very concerned and angry regarding this situation,” Officer Fangman said. “But, like with anything in the police division, sometimes it's hard for them to state their opinions publicly because we have such a rigorous chain of command.”
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