Wednesday, December 31, 2003
The chief has until Nov. 10, 2004, to complete the training.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- For each full day that Police Chief John Mandopoulos attends Ohio Association of Police Chiefs training sessions, one day of his suspension will be scratched.
That is the decision announced Tuesday by the city's civil service commission regarding Mandopoulos' discipline.
Mayor Hank Angelo had recommended that the chief be suspended for 10 days without pay after administratively charging him with gross neglect of duty, gross dereliction of duty and conduct unbecoming an officer.
Commission members announced their decision after a nearly four-hour executive session Tuesday, which followed two previous commission gatherings earlier this month totaling about 13 hours. The commission heard both the city's side and Mandopoulos' defense during those previous meetings.
"The administration's goal was to improve the police chief, and this gives the police chief the opportunity to improve," said Atty. James A. Fredericka, commission member.
The chief has until Nov. 10, 2004, to complete the training. He may appeal the commission's decision in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
Neither Mandopoulos, who was out of town Tuesday, nor Atty. Dennis Haines, who represented him at the hearing, could be reached.
Mayor's intent
"The whole intent was corrective action," Angelo said.
The mayor said he wanted people to know that the type of behavior exhibited by the chief and another officer wouldn't be tolerated.
"Despite all the rumors that I wanted to fire him and it was a personal thing, the whole idea was corrective action," Angelo said.
Thomas Conley, director of the Warren-Trumbull County Urban League, wasn't pleased.
"Although I respect the decision of the commission, it appears the decision is rewarding him for going to training when training is part of the job already," Conley said. "I feel the training that they're proposing isn't going to change the real cause, and that's his heart."
The administrative charges come from a May incident outside of the 77 Soul nightclub on U.S. Route 422, and allegations that the chief intimidated a television reporter.
The chief and another officer were seen on videotape taken May 24 mugging for a camera operated by Charles Adams and sticking their eyes into the camera lens. The chief has maintained that he and Officer Manny Nites were just joking with Adams, but Adams has contended he didn't consider the matter a joke.
Remarks to reporter
In the other part of the charges, a letter sent to city officials from Atty. Stephen T. Bolton, who represents WFMJ TV-21, says that Mandopoulos confronted reporter Michelle Nicks about several issues, telling her he was going to give the home addresses of local journalists to drug dealers. He also said he planned to get area labor unions to organize a boycott of businesses that advertise with WFMJ and The Vindicator, according to the letter.
The chief has denied the allegations.
"The civil service commission also finds that the police chief did not utter any derogatory, profane or other racially inappropriate remark during the conduct alleged to be wrongful," the commission said in its decision.
Although the commission agrees that remarks made by Nites at the club "were not made in a derogatory manner and repeated after use by an African-American citizen," the officer shouldn't have repeated them and "corrective action should have been taken immediately by the police chief," commission members said.
Nites, who is heard on the tape repeating a racial slur, hasn't been disciplined.
The commission listed seven sessions, some of which run for two days, Mandopoulos may attend. Fredericka said it will be up to the administration to determine who will foot the bill for the training.
"In all truthfulness, that will be up to the new administration to decide that or to get clarification from the civil service commission," Angelo said.
denise.dick@vindy.com