EVENDALE — Village officials said the internal investigation report on Officer Stephen Roach won't change their minds about hiring him.

        Those who opposed the hiring said the report validated their objections.

Officer Stephen Roach speaks Feb. 19 about his arrest of a bank robbery suspect. At left is Officer Roach's training officer Jeff McDaniel. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        “If what you're telling me is true, there's nothing new here,” Police Chief Gary Faust said. “There's nothing there that we didn't go over during our review.”

        The internal report concluded Officer Roach was wrong to run with his finger on the trigger when he confronted Timothy Thomas on April 7. The report also said he misled investigators when first asked about the shooting.

        Village officials say they and an Evendale police investigator carefully examined the facts surrounding the shooting.

        They concluded, as did Hamilton County Judge Ralph E. “Ted” Winkler, who acquitted Officer Roach, that he did not violate any laws.

        “Our finding was Officer Roach acted in accordance with the law and his statements in the police interview did not impede the investigation were concurrent with the findings of Judge Winkler,” Chief Faust said.

A marcher in Evendale on Jan. 20, James Jardy of Cincinnati, protests the hiring of former Cincinnati police officer Stephen Roach by the Evendale Police Department. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        But opponents of Officer Roach's hiring said the internal investigation validated their concerns. They hope village officials reconsider the hiring.

        “This basically confirms what we have been stating all along,” said Dr. Thomas Shockley, an organizer of the opponents, Concerned Citizens of Evendale. “This illustrates he was not the best candidate for selection of an officer in Evendale.”

        The internal report was hand-delivered to the Evendale Police Department by a plainclothes Cincinnati officer at 3:10 p.m. Village officials and council members said they wanted time to digest it before commenting in detail.

        “He is doing a very good job for us up to this point. He seems to have met or exceeded all our standards, and he has had very good reviews from his field training officer and the supervisor overseeing it,” Chief Faust said. “He still gets on a daily basis letters of support from individuals.”

        Opponents want a referendum on his hire. But last week, Mayor Douglas Lohmeier sent residents a letter saying it would be illegal to hold such a vote.

        Rank-and-file Evendale officers support Officer Roach “100 percent,” said Sgt. Joe Asbrock.

        “Since he's been here, it goes without saying he's done an outstanding job,” Sgt. Asbrock said. “He's a very active officer, and he doesn't need much following.”

        Officer Roach's first arrest Feb. 19 was a big one. He was one of two Evendale officers who captured a suspected bank robber about a half-hour after a Springdale bank was held up.

        Reached at their Harrison home, Officer Roach's wife said the family would not comment on the internal investigation's findings. Officer Roach's attorney, Merlyn Shiverdecker, also declined to comment, saying he had not read the report.

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