As Cincinnati and its police union start to fight over who should replace the retiring assistant chief, another retiree fired his own shot: He wants the same 90-day paid leave Lt. Col. Ron Twitty is getting.

        Lt. Dick Newsom, 54, decided it's time to leave the Cincinnati Police Department, where he has worked since October 1971. So he put in his paperwork and asked to go on paid leave for three months before his retirement kicks in.

        Roger Webster, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he knew as soon as Col. Twitty's deal became public Sept. 10 that another retiring officer would ask for the same perk. He said Chief Tom Streicher wasn't surprised either.

        “He said it was just a matter of time, too,” Mr. Webster said. “But it's like everything else - if it's good for (Col. Twitty), why isn't it good for Dick Newsom?”

        Col. Twitty, a 29-year veteran and the only African-American to rise to the rank of assistant chief, announced his retirement as part of a deal in which he pleaded no contest to attempted obstruction of official business.

        If the request is denied, Mr. Webster said it would be up to the membership to decide if they want the union to fight for the lieutenant. He said there's nothing in the contract that says the city has to give that benefit to everyone, but that the union could still argue that the Twitty deal set a precedent.

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