EVENDALE — Embattled Officer Stephen Roach won't quit his job here and will fight to clear his name, one of his attorneys said Thursday.

        Merlyn Shiverdecker said he isn't sure how exactly Officer Roach will rebut the allegations made in a critical March 19 Cincinnati police internal affairs report.

Roach

        The report says he violated Cincinnati police procedure in the fatal shooting of Timothy Thomas, a fleeing, unarmed black man, then lied to investigators. The shooting sparked last April's riots.

        “He is disappointed,” Mr. Shiverdecker said Thursday. “He obviously wants to be a policeman and understands this is an unpleasant situation for everybody. He appreciates all the support he has received.

        “He will not quit,” Mr. Shiverdecker said. “He likes being a cop. It's got to the point, too, where he wants the truth to come out. ... He did not lie.”

        Officer Roach was not scheduled to work Thursday and could not be reached at his western Hamilton County home.

        Wednesday, Evendale Police Chief Gary Foust abruptly announced he had pulled Officer Roach from street patrols and placed him on paid administrative duties until he clears his name. If he can't, he will be fired.

        Chief Foust, however, remained steadfast in his support of the officer and criticized the internal report as being “selective” and leaving out vital information that helped acquit Officer Roach in his criminal trial last fall.

        Officer Roach never got the chance to be interviewed by Cincinnati police about potential policy violations after his acquittal, Chief Foust wrote in a March 20 memo to Evendale council members.

        “The report also failed to mention that Cincinnati Police Division opted not to interview Officer Roach concerning the administrative review while having full purview, and had a legal right to question him concerning areas of possible breaches of policy,” the memo says.

        Officer Roach, who earns $45,500 annually, remains on the Evendale payroll and most likely will be assigned to assist the department's accreditation process, Chief Foust said Thursday. The department, which holds national accreditation, is up for a review in July 2003.

        Mr. Shiverdecker said Officer Roach will retain an attorney who specializes in such personnel matters to challenge the internal report.

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