CINCINNATI Proposal would hire laid-off Cleveland cops

Cleveland laid off 250 officers earlier this month.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Dozens of recently laid-off Cleveland police officers could be hired by Cincinnati.
"Cleveland police officers and their families get good employment in a good city, and it takes the sting out of the very difficult circumstances they face in Cleveland," Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken said.
Cincinnati City Manager Valerie Lemmie has proposed that the city hire some of the 250 Cleveland officers laid off earlier this month because of budget shortfalls.
If approved by the Civil Service Commission, Cincinnati could have a special class of up to 40 Cleveland recruits in its police academy in four to six weeks. More than 100 laid-off officers expressed interest in Cincinnati jobs during interviews in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher said hiring the officers would give the department a chance to reach its authorized strength of 1,075 officers more quickly and with less money for training.
In-depth look
The "lateral transfer" policy would allow recruiters to do more in-depth looking at potential candidates, some of whom have years of personnel evaluations.
Candidates still would have to pass a background check and a physical exam. The Cleveland recruits would be allowed to keep their pension benefits and transfer accrued sick time.
The special recruit class would be about 10 weeks long, Streicher said. Recruit classes usually last 24 weeks.
Harry Roberts, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, called the "lateral transfers" a major change in hiring policy and agreed the department needs more officers.
Positive reaction
Civil rights advocates -- including some who have been critical of the police department -- applauded the decision.
"Maybe some of these Cleveland officers can teach some of these runaway cops how to deal with people on the street," said Ken Lawson, an attorney who represented the plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit over alleged racial profiling by Cincinnati police.
"With our death-in-custody cases over the past 10 years, I would welcome good officers from Cleveland who could demonstrate a different method on how to police the streets here," Lawson said.
Cincinnati police operate under a federal court order requiring the department to train all officers in Justice Department-approved use of force techniques. The order took effect in 2001 after several black men died in confrontations with police.