Majority of Cleveland’s police union votes no confidence in safety director

CLEVELAND — The president of the Cleveland police union is looking upon Mayor Justin Bibb to fireside Karrie Howard, town’s public security director.

Of the police union, 868 members voted in favor of no confidence and 38 members voted towards it, in line with union president Jeff Follmer. One other 109 members didn’t vote.

The vote was taken after feedback, which Follmer referred to as biased, had been made by Howard at a discussion board final week. The feedback in query had been concerning the Irish historical past of the police division and had been made when Howard was requested about recruiting candidates to the division.

“The Irish flooded the police departments,” Howard stated. “The Irish flooded fireplace departments. The Irish flooded security forces to the purpose the place we have now bagpipes, kilts and, you recognize, all this inexperienced after we have a good time it.”

Howard later apologized for what he stated, however Follmer stated he doesn’t settle for his apology.

“The mayor is his boss, and he has a option to eliminate him,” Follmer stated Wednesday after revealing the outcomes of the no confidence vote.

In the meantime, Bibb responded to the vote by union members. In a press release, he stated:

“Latest feedback made by Chief Director of Public Security Karrie Howard have upset and angered many in our neighborhood. The Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Affiliation (CPPA), Fraternal Order of Police Cleveland Lodge No. 8, and Worldwide Affiliation of Firefighters Native 93 have reached out to me concerning these feedback. Earlier right now, the CPPA launched the outcomes of a vote of no confidence they held concerning Howard’s management. I hear your frustration and I respect your considerations. Because the son of a police officer and firefighter, I’ve the utmost admiration and gratitude for the work that our first responders do. I maintain the professionals who bravely serve our metropolis within the highest regard, and this can be a scenario that we take very significantly. We merely won’t tolerate discrimination of any variety in any division on this administration. As you recognize, Chief Howard has issued an apology and I imagine that apology is honest. As many people who do our work within the public eye know, there are occasions after we make errors in judgement and fail to precise ourselves effectively. Chief Director Howard works exhausting every day to maintain our metropolis protected for all residents. He has a wealth of data and expertise and is dedicated to accountability for himself and for the division. There are numerous challenges that his steering has helped us to navigate efficiently, and I’ve full confidence in his skill to proceed to steer the Division of Public Security. My hope is that this can be a scenario that we are able to study from and that we are going to proceed to have exhausting conversations that assist us construct bridges and heal divides.”