The Cincinnati Police Department's internal investigation into Officer Stephen Roach's actions finds he violated procedure and lied. But Chief Tom Streicher's public statements about the officer continued to be relatively supportive:

        • April 9, two days after the shooting, his first public comments:

        “Officer Roach's record “shows tremendous promise as a police officer. He is incredibly mature-acting for his age — very, very sound fundamentally as an officer.”

        • In the ensuing days, as council members and others continued to call for information:

        “It's inappropriate for anybody to make a call about what happened. The integrity of this investigation cannot be compromised.”

        • Days before Officer Roach's September trial started:

        “I think the thing that's going to have the most impact here is what actually happened. Everyone has an interest in finding out what occurred there.”

        • After Officer Roach's acquittal:

        The internal investigation will continue, the chief said, but he said the judge's decision “really provides the majority of the resolution for us. The way (Judge Winkler) articulated the propriety of the shooting — that clearly has been resolved by the judge.”

        • January, after Officer Roach quit the Cincinnati force and was about to start working in Evendale:

        The chief said it wasn't impossible for Officer Roach to rescind his resignation and continue in Cincinnati; officers sometimes change their minds. He said he wouldn't mind if he stayed on.

        But it wasn't likely, he said, that Officer Roach would go back to any high-profile patrol work anytime soon. That's best, the chief said, for both him and the community.

        • Tuesday:

        “I would still stand on what I said about him. I personally do not believe that one incident defines the character of an individual on this department. This is not meant to be a personal attack on anybody.”

Related stories:
Police inquiry scorches Roach
Video showed officer lied
Different statements key in investigation
Evendale leaders shrug at report
Racial, police, legal issues converge as anniversary nears
Streicher's statement
Timeline of Roach-Thomas case
       

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