CINCINNATI – The conduct of a Cincinnati police detective is under investigation after officials say he repeated a racial slur while working in early September, according to Cincinnati.com.
Detective Joehonny Reese had his police powers suspended pending the results of the investigation, the police union said, threatening to hold a no confidence vote in the department’s interim chief.
Dan Hils, president of Cincinnati’s police union, described what happened. He said two Black police officers were working an off-duty assignment at Energy Nightclub on Sept. 2 when they were confronted by a White teenager, who had reportedly just been removed from the bar by security.
Hils said the teen was threatening and berating the bar’s security staff and the two officers. He said the teen called the officers “N-words” multiple times during the exchange and later attempted to assault them.
Reese told the teen during the encounter that he “wouldn’t be an N-word,” Hils said, saying the officers gave him “numerous chances” to leave without being arrested. The teen was tased and arrested after he tried to attack the officers.
Hils said Reese basically repeated the teen’s words back to him and told him not to call him that again.
Reese has had his police powers suspended. The union board voted unanimously to demand interim Chief Theresa Theetge reinstate Reese.
“If this idiotic decision isn’t reversed, the next vote the Cincinnati FOP takes will be one of no confidence in our interim chief,” Hils wrote in a statement. “Police officers shouldn’t use racial slurs, but it is the absolute height of stupidity to suspend Detective Reese who kept his cool so well in the face of a drunk, White teenager screaming threats and repeatedly calling him and another Black officer the N-word.”
Interim Police Chief Teresa Theetge said as chief of the department, it is her duty and responsibility to ensure that every allegation of misconduct by any member of the organization is investigated.
“Regardless of the circumstances, a complete and thorough investigation will be conducted by our Internal Investigations Section,” Theetge said in a statement. “Under my leadership, it is standard practice to temporarily suspend police powers until an investigation into the use of a racial slur is complete.”
The union shared a photo of Reese folding pants on Tuesday instead of working his normal police duties.
This case comes as some members of Cincinnati’s City Council work to draft a “zero tolerance” policy on racial and homophobic slurs.
Offenders of the policy would be fired.
