The city of Cincinnati will hold a virtual public meeting Thursday from 6-7:30 p.m. on updating disciplinary practices for any city employee who uses a racial slur on the job. The revised language is in response to officers who were suspended or fired this year after being caught using such language while on duty.
The public is invited to listen, comment and ask questions about the changes during the meeting, which will be live streamed on the city's Facebook page.
This is one of a few meetings the city is holding on the matter.
“The policy still isn't where it should be,” then-Assistant City Manager Sheryl Long said during a meeting in August. “The great thing is, is that we're trying to do things differently, and different means, let's have a conversation with the community. Because just as you all are appalled when these things happen, we are the same way, because that is not a reflection of the majority of our public servants.”
The current policy includes a few options for disciplinary action on a first violation: 40-hour suspension and mandatory training; or, if the infraction “was not severe or pervasive enough to constitute a Hostile Work Environment,” a written reprimand and training.
Even on a first violation, the policy says more severe discipline can be considered “depending on the circumstance, nature of the violation, and the employee’s disciplinary history.”
