By Gregory Korte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati City Council's unprecedented subpoena of a newspaper reporter led to a half-hour of questioning Tuesday, but her answers added little to City Council's investigation of alleged overtime abuses by the Cincinnati Police Department.

Leslie Blade, a reporter for the weekly City Beat, answered questions from Councilman Christopher Smitherman about her Dec. 10 story, "Protection racket: Public housing security grant is a cash cow for cops."

The story detailed allegations that officers inflated their overtime while working off-duty details for the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority in 1998.

Smitherman asked why she wrote the article.

"There are rules established for the payment of services rendered," Blade answered. "You're talking about public funds - about public trust - and the rules should be followed."

Smitherman also asked about the Internal Investigation Section videotape in which Lt. Jeff Butler is alleged to have used a racial slur. Blade said Sgt. Russell Neville, the investigator questioning Butler about overtime, had attended Butler's 1998 wedding.

"As an investigative reporter, is that important to you?" Smitherman asked.

"Personal relationships are important. Absolutely," Blade said.

Flanked by her lawyer, Anthony G. Covatta, Blade refused to answer a couple questions: one about Butler's disciplinary record, and another about whether she had looked into allegations against another officer.

Afterward, some council members wondered whether the subpoena was necessary.

"This was the definition of silly," said Republican Pat DeWine. "If the council member had taken the time to read the story, he would have gotten the same information we did today. This is not a way to run a government, and I'm embarrassed to be part of this government today."

Law Committee Chairman David Pepper said City Council has every right to investigate, but the subpoena of a reporter set a bad precedent.

"We have, as a city, a pretty poor record when it comes to the First Amendment," said Pepper, a Democrat. "You could probably write a book filled with cases of 'City of Cincinnati v. Someone' with all the First Amendment cases we've screwed up."

Smitherman, a first-term Charterite, said there was nothing hostile about the subpoena.

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com