The Cincinnati Police Department's quarterly status reports to court-appointed monitor Saul Green are usually dry and technical. But in the latest report, sent last week, police officials clearly started to chafe under the scrutiny of the Detroit-based monitor.

Police Chief Tom Streicher and police relations manager Greg Baker said the monitoring "has done little to positively impact" compliance. The exchange of status reports four times a year has become a "point-counterpoint compliance debate," they said.

"Already operating with limited resources, (the department) constantly struggles to prevent this added burden from interfering with the overall mission of the department, which is to provide quality police service to the community," police said in their latest report.

Mayor Charlie Luken said he understands the chief's position, but was surprised that he was so blunt in his report.

"We talk about it all the time. I think the chief has been dismayed at times by the paperwork involved, which can be very onerous. I've advised him to hang in there," Luken said.

SERVICE WITH A SMILE: As LaShawn Pettus-Brown faces criminal proceedings in federal court for allegedly defrauding city taxpayers out of $184,172, his arrest means that the city can finally move to foreclose on the Vine Street property that Pettus-Brown had promised to turn into a theater.

The year-old civil action has been held up for a year because process servers - like the FBI - couldn't find Pettus-Brown until his arrest last month in New York.

Not waiting for the U.S. Marshals Service to return Pettus-Brown from New York to Cincinnati via "Con Air," city officials had the Oklahoma City Sheriff's Department serve Pettus-Brown with foreclosure papers during a layover there last Thursday.

Then, for good measure, they served him again the next day at the Potter Stewart Courthouse in Cincinnati.

ARTICLE OF DEBATE: After hearing both sides of the debate at a meeting last week, the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission quietly voted to support the repeal of Article XII, the charter provision that prohibits City Council from passing a gay-rights ordinance.

Chairman Art Shriberg said the vote was "overwhelming" but not unanimous. He would not elaborate.

"There was some discussion we shouldn't take a stance. There were some who see human rights issues on both sides. Some would argue the rights of those who feel strongly about the sanctity of the family," he said. "Please understand that was a minority view."

The commission will host public forums on the issue before it appears on the Nov. 2 ballot.

IN THE LOBBY: City lobbyists had until the end of January to file an annual registration statement with the Clerk of Council's office. The list:

Marie Gemelli-Carroll of Communications in the Public Interest, Louise Hughes of Procter & Gamble, Lynn Marmer of the Kroger Co., Doug Moorman of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and Victor A. Needham of Cinergy Corp.

Still conspicuously missing from the list is anyone from the Convergys Corp., whose $52.2 million public subsidy was the subject of the most intense corporate lobbying campaign since the stadiums were built.

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com