By Jim Hannah
The Cincinnati Enquirer

COVINGTON - The Fraternal Order of Police aired more complaints against Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Bill Crockett Friday afternoon.

In the last two weeks, the five FOP lodges in Kenton County have passed votes of no confidence against Crockett, the chief prosecutor for the county. The lodges represent about 400 police officers.

The effort also has the backing of the Kentucky State FOP. Martin Scott Jr., president of the state FOP, released a letter Friday saying he supports the Kenton County lodges.

"The (FOP) is very concerned about the situation in Kenton County that caused the members of the five Fraternal Order of Police lodges to take a no confidence vote on ... Crockett," Scott wrote.

The issues raised by FOP members on Friday concern management of the prosecutor's office. They say, for example, that when Crockett decides to reduce charges against an individual, he doesn't adequately explain his decision to police and the victim's family.

Crockett responded that FOP members appear to be more busy making their gripes public than trying to work with his office to resolve them.

"I think if they're going to go public about the problem, I ought to know what it is," Crockett said. "Nobody's come to me about the complaints. They gave reporters a list of grievances today that I have never seen before."

In a news release, FOP members asserted they have tried to meet with Crockett to express their complaints for more than a year.

Disagreements between police and Crockett increased this month when Crockett agreed to reduce charges against Jesse Holden, a soldier who led police on a chase through Covington while driving drunk.

After Crockett agreed to reduce a felony charge of fleeing police to a misdemeanor, Holden pleaded guilty Dec. 3 to misdemeanor charges of second-degree fleeing and evading police, first-degree driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and disregarding a traffic control device.

During the chase through Covington, Holden smashed cars, hit signs, tried to ram a police cruiser and narrowly missed people and houses. Nine officers were involved in the chase.

FOP members say Holden should have been prosecuted on the felony fleeing police charge, a law enacted after the death of a fellow officer, Mike Partin, who fell to his death from the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge while chasing a suspect in 1998.

Crockett has said he reduced the charges, in part, because Holden had spent months in combat in Iraq, was having a hard time readjusting to civilian life and would receive additional punishment by the military. The Holden issue became so polarizing this week that a judge had to step in.

Kenton District Court Judge Douglas Grothaus ordered that no one wear a police or military uniform during Holden's sentencing Monday morning for fear that both police and soldiers would pack the courtroom in an attempt to influence the sentencing process.

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E-mail jhannah@enquirer.com