The video was seen and shared tens of thousands of times online last June. It showed Cincinnati police arresting teens while selling water at a busy intersection in Roselawn. The controversial interaction ended with a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old in handcuffs. Almost a year later, the citizen review board has completed its investigation. It happened on June 27, 2022. Cincinnati police Officer William Orkies responded to a group of teens selling water at East Seymour Avenue and Reading Road. Someone had called 911 on the teens, saying they were in traffic."If ya'll want to sell water bottles, that's fine. Stay out of the streets, though," Orkies said.The teens talked back. Within 30 seconds, Orkies, who was a three-year veteran of the department at the time, got out of his cruiser. "Do you want me to write you a ticket for impeding traffic? You're probably right. You're probably right. I probably should. Nah. Nah you're right. You're right," Orkies said. The Citizen's Complaint Authority investigated Orkies' actions, as well as Officer Zachary Kress, who was the other initial responding officer. Both were working in the city's Crime Gun Intelligence Center at the time. "We do believe that the facts here in this case reveal a failure to properly de-escalate," said Gabe Davis, executive director of the CCA. Davis presented the CCA investigation's findings Tuesday, which determined Orkies escalated the situation and "taunted" and "instigated" the teens.The investigation found his behavior made it appear "he was motivated by frustration or anger at having his authority questioned, rather than out of a desire to enforce the law fairly and reasonably."Investigators also wrote, "Officer Orkies did not simply fail to de-escalate effectively, he escalated tensions and inflamed conflict, which likely contributed to a physical arrest..."The CCA cleared Orkies and Kress of excessive force allegations but sustained findings that Orkies did not follow two Cincinnati police department policies and procedures. "Calling police on children is not the answer. They were selling water," Iris Roley, consultant to the city on collaborative agreement, said at the meeting. "These kids were failed."Roley supports the CCA's findings and their recommendations to the police department to update its policy on juvenile enforcement and create "juvenile specific de-escalation policies and trainings."She also expressed disappointment that the investigation was not moved to the top of the pile and investigated sooner. "We do feel like this is one of those cases that should have been pushed to the top. We're now at summer again," Roley said. "We wish these recommendations would have been considered and put into policy so that they could be in place for this summer."The city manager gets the final say in terms of how to proceed with the CCA complaint.
The video was seen and shared tens of thousands of times online last June. It showed Cincinnati police arresting teens while selling water at a busy intersection in Roselawn.
The controversial interaction ended with a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old in handcuffs. Almost a year later, the citizen review board has completed its investigation.
It happened on June 27, 2022. Cincinnati police Officer William Orkies responded to a group of teens selling water at East Seymour Avenue and Reading Road. Someone had called 911 on the teens, saying they were in traffic.
"If ya'll want to sell water bottles, that's fine. Stay out of the streets, though," Orkies said.
The teens talked back. Within 30 seconds, Orkies, who was a three-year veteran of the department at the time, got out of his cruiser.
"Do you want me to write you a ticket for impeding traffic? You're probably right. You're probably right. I probably should. Nah. Nah you're right. You're right," Orkies said.
The Citizen's Complaint Authority investigated Orkies' actions, as well as Officer Zachary Kress, who was the other initial responding officer. Both were working in the city's Crime Gun Intelligence Center at the time.
"We do believe that the facts here in this case reveal a failure to properly de-escalate," said Gabe Davis, executive director of the CCA.
Davis presented the CCA investigation's findings Tuesday, which determined Orkies escalated the situation and "taunted" and "instigated" the teens.
The investigation found his behavior made it appear "he was motivated by frustration or anger at having his authority questioned, rather than out of a desire to enforce the law fairly and reasonably."
Investigators also wrote, "Officer Orkies did not simply fail to de-escalate effectively, he escalated tensions and inflamed conflict, which likely contributed to a physical arrest..."
The CCA cleared Orkies and Kress of excessive force allegations but sustained findings that Orkies did not follow two Cincinnati police department policies and procedures.
"Calling police on children is not the answer. They were selling water," Iris Roley, consultant to the city on collaborative agreement, said at the meeting. "These kids were failed."
Roley supports the CCA's findings and their recommendations to the police department to update its policy on juvenile enforcement and create "juvenile specific de-escalation policies and trainings."
She also expressed disappointment that the investigation was not moved to the top of the pile and investigated sooner.
"We do feel like this is one of those cases that should have been pushed to the top. We're now at summer again," Roley said. "We wish these recommendations would have been considered and put into policy so that they could be in place for this summer."
The city manager gets the final say in terms of how to proceed with the CCA complaint.
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