The University of Cincinnati police chief and assistant police chief have resigned. Jason Goodrich and Tim Thornton turned in resignations today, effective immediately.
The University wrote in a letter to the campus community that an external review of the department started on February 1, and will continue. The statement says “Looking toward the future of the department, Chief Jason Goodrich and Major Tim Thornton have submitted their resignations.”
Director of Public Safety James Whalen will serve as interim chief. He was previously an assistant chief with the Cincinnati Police.
The resignations come after the hiring of EXIGER Advisory to conduct a comprehensive review of the UC Police Department. The review was deemed necessary after the shooting death of Sam DuBose on July 19, 2015 by former UC officer Ray Tensing. Tensing has since been fired and awaits an October trial on a murder charge. The university has settled with the DuBose family.
The external team will conduct a comprehensive review of the UC Police Department including all policies, procedures, practices and training. A report is due out in four to five months. A mid-report will also be released.
Review team member Charles Ramsey, former commissioner of both the Washington D.C. and Chicago police departments, has said the problems at UC are fixable.
