By Ryan Clark
NKyTribune reporter
After weeks of working with the Department of Justice, city commissioners agreed Tuesday to move forward with an agreement to station a police officer in Holmes Middle and Holmes High School.
In March, the Covington Independent School Board voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with the Covington Police Department to provide an officer for the Holmes campus for the school year for $80,000, which was necessary after the county sheriff pulled out of its agreement with the school for the year.
But Mayor Joseph U. Meyer and city commissioners were concerned about just what their police officers could and could not do — and when — if a dangerous situation arose.
“In November, 2015 the U.S. Department of Justice contacted the Covington Independent Public School District advising that it had received complaints from unidentified individuals regarding the disciplinary practices of the School District, including use of exclusionary discipline, restraint, seclusion in the schools and the circumstances under which District staff were calling on (student resource officers) to respond to student misbehavior and violations of the student code of conduct,” the city’s staff report read.
The Department of Justice attempted to work with the district, but by 2017, the Kenton County Sheriff terminated their agreement with the school district. For similar reasons, the city expressed concern.
“The City however, expressed concern with the Agreement between DOJ and (Covington Independent Public Schools) and the possible impact on officer safety,” the staff report read. “Although this is an Agreement to which the City is not a party, there was concern that the Agreement’s provisions stating that the District would only request that SROs or other law enforcement officers respond to student conduct when that conduct constitutes ‘an imminent and substantial threat to physical safety or serious crime’ would cause confusion for a responding City officer, and possibly put him/her in harm’s way if he/she should hesitate in response to an incident.”
So, over the past several weeks, Senior Assistant City Solicitor Michael Bartlett worked with the Department of Justice to edit the language, saying he wanted to “find a way to narrow down the agreement to better protect everybody.”
Simply, the concerning language was taken out, meaning the officers will now be able to act as law enforcement officials and not school staff. Meyer commended Bartlett, saying this “is a total win for the school district as well as the city.”
The agreement has been placed on the consent agenda for next Tuesday’s legislative meeting, and if approved, will go into effect July 1.
Alvin Garrison, superintendent of the school district, was present at the meeting Tuesday, and clapped when the agreement moved forward.
“Thank you,” he said, smiling and giving a thumbs-up to the commissioners.
Also Tuesday:
- With festival season right around the corner, City Commissioner Bill Wells presented a temporary residential parking plan for the Mutter Gottes neighborhood, which asked for signage and hours to limit parking availability for all but neighborhood residents from May 1 to Oct. 31. Wells shared the plan with commissioners and city staff last week, and asked for approval Tuesday night. City Manager David Johnston reminded commissioners that by ordinance, parking plans must go through the newly-formed Parking Authority. However, due to other projects, Johnston said the Authority would not be able to consider such a proposal until at least three or four months from now. Mayor Meyer noted that this was an important issue, but he also said the city needs parking structures built first, then an overall residential parking plan. That was not good enough for Wells, and without a second vote from anyone else on the commission to move forward, his proposal died there. Commissioner Jordan Huizenga suggested to move forward with sending the proposal to the Authority, but because of the long timetable, Wells thought that would do no good and declined.
- Commissioners agreed to accept a bid for $21,502 for the city-owned property at 249 Pershing Ave. The city purchased the property as part of a 10-structure bundle in 2009 for $75,000. This will be on the consent agenda Tuesday.
- Mayor Meyer appointed Chuck Eilerman to the Board of Assessment Appeals for a four-year term. This will be on the consent agenda Tuesday.
- Commissioners agreed to hire Starr Ford as assistant city solicitor. Ford, who was acting as the interim assistant, was chosen from 45 applicants. This will be on the consent agenda Tuesday.
- Commissioners approved a proclamation that May is Historic Preservation Month in Covington.
- Mayor Meyer reminded the crowd that on Tuesday, the commission will hear the second reading of an ordinance to create a position of records custodian, which would maintain all police department records and manage records clerks.
- Meyer also reminded the crowd that the city will be having a legislative meeting on Tuesday, May 22, which also happens to be Election Day. He called for “brevity.”
- At the end of the meeting, commissioners adjourned to executive session to discuss “strategy related to a collective bargaining agreement.”
The next Covington Commission meeting will be a legislative meeting held at 6 p.m., May 8, at the Covington City Hall at 20 West Pike St.
Contact the Northern Kentucky Tribune at news@nkytrib.com
