By Gregory Korte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Nathanael L. Ford was introduced Thursday as the leader of the Citizen Complaint Authority. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

A 28-year veteran of the Toledo Police Department will be the first director of Cincinnati's new police watchdog agency - an entity that has been described as one of the most powerful in the nation.

Nathanael L. Ford spent most of his career in the internal affairs section of the police department, and rose to the level of deputy police chief. City Manager Valerie Lemmie announced his appointment Thursday.

His primary mission, he said, will be to "restore the faith and trust of the community in investigating alleged police misconduct."

Mr. Ford's application came in just two weeks ago. And though his selection comes five months behind schedule, no one complained. Ms. Lemmie said she wanted to make sure the parties in the settlement of a racial profiling lawsuit against the city - including the Cincinnati Black United Front and the Fraternal Order of Police - agreed on the selection.

"The city manager could have just hired someone herself," said Kenneth L. Lawson, the lawyer for the Black United Front. "What Valerie Lemmie told all the parties was that we weren't going to have any director until we could all agree, and that demonstrates the spirit with which we're moving forward."

Mayor Charlie Luken has described the Citizen Complaint Authority as the "cornerstone" of the two landmark agreements on police-community relations that followed the April 2001 death of Timothy Thomas and the riots the next week.

In many ways, the job is even more important than the court-appointed monitor who will oversee the agreements. It is a permanent, everyday, hands-on position.

Mr. Ford will lead a staff of full-time investigators who will look into complaints of serious police misconduct. In most cases, they will have just 90 days to close a case and send it on to the seven-member Citizen Complaint Authority board, which will recommend disciplinary action to the city manager.

The authority replaces the Citizen Police Review Panel, which disbanded after many of its board members resigned to protest its ineffectiveness. The mayor appoints members of the new panel.

The agency will also have the power to analyze use-of-force trends beyond complaints of single incidents, and make recommendations for changes in police policy.

Those who interviewed Mr. Ford had nothing but praise for him Thursday.

"I think he exudes sincerity, dedication and confidence," said Nancy Minson, chairwoman of the Citizen Complaint Authority board. "He appears to be a diplomat, and can deal with issues on many different levels.

"He embodies everything we hope the CCA stands for," she said.

Mr. Lawson, who interviewed Mr. Ford for more than two hours Saturday, said he came highly recommended by black police officers and civil rights groups in Toledo.

Mr. Lawson said he wasn't looking for a director who would automatically conclude that every police shooting was unjustified.

"We want to have so much confidence in this board that if you say it was a justifiable shooting, we can take that to our constituents and tell them it was justified," he said.

Mr. Ford now serves as director of Lucas County's Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, which fosters cooperation between courts and law enforcement. He will make $96,000 a year.

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com