By Sharon Coolidge
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Former Cincinnati Police Lt. Col. Ron Twitty takes the witness stand Thursday before testifying in a hearing on his request to have his criminal record sealed. (Glenn Hartong photo)

Former Cincinnati Police Lt. Col. Ronald Twitty told a judge Thursday that his criminal conviction for lying to police is keeping him from bringing community members and police together to help lower crime in the city.

And that's why Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Beth Myers should seal his misdemeanor conviction, he argued.

Myers said she will make a decision later.

County prosecutors are fighting the expungement, saying the public has a right to know about Twitty's past.

The small courtroom was packed with Twitty supporters, three of whom testified on his behalf.

"We believe Col. Twitty is more than deserving," said Sharon Zealey, Twitty's attorney. "It's very important for the community to have closure on this matter and that he be restored to his place of honor in the community."

Twitty pleaded no contest to a charge of attempting to obstruct a police investigation in 2002. As part of a plea agreement, Twitty left the department to end the criminal case against him over damage to his city-owned car. He was ordered to pay a $1 fine.

Twitty was back in the news last month when his stepson was shot to death in Bond Hill. He vowed to help the city work with residents to combat an escalating number of killings."I'm constantly called upon to consult with police departments," Twitty said. "I don't want this blemish on my record or to stop me from doing what I want to do."

He complained his good work is often tainted by mentions of his single criminal conviction. If his record is sealed, it would allow Twitty to seek a job in law enforcement, he said.

"I have to set myself in the background of anything I do because I become the center of attention," Twitty said.

In 2003, 2221 records were sealed in Hamilton County Court - the most in the past five years, according to statistics from the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Office.

E-mail scoolidge@enquirer.com