CINCINNATI —

It’s a day that has been celebrated since 1984.

Police departments and local community groups get together ahead of the school year to promote unity with block parties, barbecues and festivals.

It’s known as “National Night Out”.

The night is meant to foster positive relationships between police and the communities they protect.

The Cincinnati police held an event in every district.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Other departments like Miami Township, Middletown and Clearcreek Township also held events.

Clearcreek Township Officer Eric Ney was spotted out at the event Tuesday night.

Ney was recently released from a rehab facility after being shot in the line of duty last month.

Event times vary by department, so check with your local precinct for more information.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

To learn more about National Night Out, click here.

CINCINNATI —

Months after a Cincinnati police officer was fired and others were suspended for using a racial slur on duty, WLWT has learned of two other officers investigated for using the slur.

The incidents of officers using the slur became one of the biggest public controversies concerning the department in 2022 and led to a new policy for all city workers.

Through a public records request, WLWT learned Officer Daniel Carter, who is white, and Officer Willie Coman, who is Black, were both accused of using the racial slur on duty last year.

CPD internal documents show while Carter was investigating an assault in August, a man repeatedly used the slur while speaking to the officer.

Carter responded to the man, "First of all, I ain't your [expletive]."

The Cincinnati police department tells WLWT Carter retired before an internal investigation was completed.

FOP President Dan Hils said Carter feared he was going to be fired and did not think he would get a fair shot during the investigative process.

"This officer didn't think he was gonna get it because he's a white dude, ok? His case and Joehonny's case, they're exactly the same. Pull the tapes," Hils said. "Now he has to look back and realize that if he would have just hung in there, he could have worked for a few more years."

Hils referred Detective Joehonny Reese, who was suspended for using a racial slur on a call in September.

A drunk 19-year-old called Reese a racial slur at a night club. Reese responded to the man, repeating the slur.

His police powers were initially suspended and then reinstated.

The city considered starting a no tolerance policy for use of the slur in the fall but opted for a more flexible policy.

The updated policy reads, "For usage of the [racial slur], the presumptive penalty is termination, except in those very rare circumstances where mitigating circumstances are evident."

That wording is likely why Officer Willie Coman is still employed by the department.

CPD internal documents show a woman experiencing a mental health crisis and making bizarre claims repeatedly used a racial slur and called Coman the slur. It happened as Coman was responding to a call in October.

The investigation by internal affairs found "Officer Coman's BWC captured him using the word" two separate times. The report went on to say Coman's use of the slur "was not directed at any person, nor was it used in a demeaning or discriminatory manner."

Further, the report stated Coman "remained calm and professional, even after being insulted."

Ultimately, he received a write-up in his personnel file for the incident.

"When I say you can't find a finer gentleman than Joehonny Reese, Willie Coman would give him a run for the money," Hils said.

He said he believes officers should not use slurs under any circumstance. At the same time, he said good officers should not be punished when there are extenuating circumstances.

A review of Coman's performance reviews found he consistently "exceeds standards."

A review of Carter's file shows he consistently "meets standards," but the last several years, he was marked as "needs improvement" in the category of complying with policies and procedures.

CINCINNATI — A white police officer is under investigation by the Cincinnati Police Department after that officer allegedly made a racist comment to a Black officer while on duty.

According to a statement from the Cincinnati NAACP, earlier in the week a Black officer previously assigned to desk tasks was allowed to resume patrols.

"So the master let you back in the field today," said a white officer, according to the NAACP.

Cincinnati NAACP said it demands accountability for the officer who made the comment, calling on CPD leaders to discipline him.

"When I first heard that my mouth hit the floor, like, hold on, say that one more time," said NAACP Cincinnati President Joe Mallory.

Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge wrote in a statement she is aware of the allegations.

"Immediately when this allegation was brought to my attention, I ordered an investigation be conducted by our Internal Investigations Section," reads Theetge's statement.

The officer accused of making the comment has been placed on desk duty while the investigation is still ongoing, Theetge said.

Cincinnati NAACP called the alleged comment "insensitive, hurtful and racist," later adding the language used was "abhorrent and unacceptable." NAACP said the comment is proof that ongoing racial sensitivity education is required within the department.

"We have to stamp that culture out," Mallory said. "It can't be performative. It has to be intentional, and we have to do a deeper dive training because it happens over and over and over again."

Dan Hils, president of the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police, said the officer accused of making the statement was trying to make a joke about the two officers' shared boss, not a joke "about the serious topic of slavery."

Hils said the statement made was "I see the master has you back in the field with us."

Shortly after the comment was made, Hils said the accused officer sought out the Black officer "to assure his colleague he meant no offense for his hastily chosen words."

"Looking back now, he regrets it very much," Hils said in an interview.

Mallory pushed back on the indication the phrase was a harmless joke.

"I didn't find a damn thing funny about it," he said. "When you make these kinds of comments, it takes you back to a not-so-distant past when you have the Jim Crow era and people who are still alive today who have experienced and lived through that trauma."

The Sentinel Police Association, a group that works to address 'issues of racism, promotions and disciplinary actions pertaining to Cincinnati African-American officers" according to their Facebook page, called the comment a "verbal slap" that made its way through the department.

"Words and actions matter when it comes to improving cultural perceptions of patterns and practices of racial insensitivity within the walls of CPD," reads a statement from Danita Pettis, president of the Sentinal Police Association. "As such, the Sentinel's position is that nothing short of a complete and thorough investigation of this latest incident, followed by immediate and appropriate disciplinary action will truly reflect CPD's commitment to an improved culture."

WCPO is not naming the accused officer pending the outcome of the investigation.

CINCINNATI —

Cincinnati police said a man stabbed two people in Westwood on Thanksgiving Day.

Officers shocked him with a taser and shot him in the leg while he was still wielding the knife, according to police.

Investigators said the officers involved are now on administrative leave, which is standard protocol.

Meanwhile, neighbors who saw the chaos are glad it's over.

The FOP president told WLWT that the suspect has since been treated and released from the hospital, but he will be charged.

It was an unnerving way for people to spend the holiday.

"I seen the arguing and all of that took place, but then afterwards, police showed up, all of that came and I'm like, 'Oh my God,'" a neighbor who didn't want to be identified told WLWT.

The neighbor has only lived in Lafeuille Apartment Homes for a few months but said this holiday with her two small children has now been marred by madness next door.

"I mean, even if there is a little bit of family drama, you're not expecting it to end in stabbings. So, yes, it definitely is shocking and crazy. Especially for it to happen in this apartment complex," she said.

She didn't want to be identified to protect her family.

Cincinnati police said a 911 call came in Thursday afternoon, reporting someone in an apartment trying to stab people.

They said two officers responded and found a man and a woman stabbed.

Investigators told WLWT that officers told the suspect to drop a knife and when the suspect wouldn't comply, they fired a gun and deployed a taser.

The specific timeline has not been released by CPD.

"We don't have that set of sequence of events as of yet," Asst. Chief Terri Theetge said.

Police said the suspect was shot in the leg.

He was at UC Medical Center and in stable condition, police said.

Officers said no one has life-threatening injuries.

FOP President Dan Hils released a statement about the incident late Thursday night:

"Today, while most Cincinnati residents safely enjoyed Thanksgiving with family, our local police officers were on patrol, protecting people. One of those officers was called to a local home after a 911 call about a dangerous man with a knife who was cutting people. She and another officer came upon a man wielding a knife. That man refused orders to drop the knife and then approached the officers with the knife. Both officers immediately saw the threat, and both acted quickly. One officer deployed his Taser device while the other simultaneously fired her service weapon. They stopped the threat. The criminal was treated and released from the hospital, and he will be charged. Both officers are uninjured. Everyone in Cincinnati can be thankful that, even on holidays, they have brave, quick-thinking police officers on patrol, risking their own lives to protect others."

It's still not clear what led up to the stabbings, as CPD remains tight-lipped.

Neighbors said they are relieved the incident is over.

"I didn't want them watching that. I was watching it but I was keeping them away from the windows, when the arguing, you know, I didn't want them to hear all of that. It's Thanksgiving, you know," the neighbor said.

No one at the apartment involved answered the door.

There was blood on the ground as well as empty bandage wrappers just outside the door.

Cincinnati police said they believe the victims and the suspect are family members.

They haven't shared the suspect's name, age, or if he has a criminal history.

Police said the Criminal Investigation Section is now investigating and the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office is involved.