Officials, Mando reach tentative agreement

By Ed Runyan | April 9, 2009 at 12:08a.m.

Warren police chief John Mandopolous

Capt. Tim Bowers has served as acting chief since Friday.

WARREN — City officials say the agreement on punishment for Police Chief John Mandopoulos tentatively reached Wednesday morning will be announced at 10:30 a.m. today in City Hall.

Though officials worked throughout Wednesday afternoon to prepare the agreement and get it signed by all parties, it was not ready as of about 6 p.m., and its release was pushed back to today.

City officials met with Mandopoulos and his attorney, Danny Thomas of Warren, for about 90 minutes starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Attending were Mayor Michael O’Brien, Law Director Greg Hicks, Assistant Law Director Jim Ries, Mandopoulos and Thomas.

Afterward, Doug Franklin, safety-service director, said the sides had reached an “agreement in principle” on Mandopoulos’ punishment for his treatment of Gary Cicero, the city’s human resources director, in November.

Cicero had tried to enter the police department for a prearranged meeting, but before he reached the metal detector in the lobby, Mandopoulos ordered the officer working security at the door to search Cicero, according to Cicero’s complaint.

Mandopoulos also prevented Cicero from getting into the office area to meet with Capt. Tim Bowers regarding bumping rights for a police department employee who was going to be affected by the Jan. 1 layoff of 20 police officers and other city workers, Cicero said.

Franklin said he obtained a recording of a phone message Mandopoulos left on Capt. Tim Roberts’ voice mail the day before the search that suggested Mandopoulos’ actions toward Cicero had been “intentional.”

Mandopoulos said the incident had more to do with Cicero’s trying to circumvent security measures.

Mandopoulos has not worked since last Thursday; Bowers has served as acting chief since then.

Mandopoulos, who became police chief in December 2000, has been reprimanded numerous times since then, including once last fall after he made remarks about and to Councilman Dan Crouse that Crouse said were “unprofessional, defamatory, threatening, inaccurate and out of control.”

In February 2006, Franklin ordered Mandopoulos to be courteous to city council members after Mandopoulos had a run-in with Councilman Al Novak, who said Mandopoulos was disruptive at a council finance-committee meeting.

In 2003, Mandopoulos was reprimanded for failing to properly manage one of his officers, Manny Nites, during an incident at Club 77 Soul, a tavern on Youngstown Road in which Nites made remarks on audio tape that used a derogatory term for blacks.

Also in 2003, Mandopoulos was given an administrative order by then-mayor Henry Angelo to cease and desist from “improperly withholding public information.”

In 2002, Angelo put a letter in Mandopoulos’ personnel file saying he had not complied with the procedures in the Citizen Complaint Process that was established after the U.S. Justice Department investigated the department. The letter also charged Mandopoulos with not requiring employees to clock in and out correctly.

Mandopoulos was hired as a Warren police officer in 1973.

runyan@vindy.com