Cincinnati Mayor Faces ‘No Confidence’ Vote From Fraternal Order Of Police

Cincinnati’s local response for an attack that occurred one month ago continues to have negative consequences for Democrat Mayor Aftab Pureval, as he received a unanimous vote of “no confidence” Monday night from the local Fraternal Order of Police. This comes as the viral mob attack and Pureval’s lackluster response garnered local, state, and federal level attention.

Cory Bowman, who is running against Pureval as a Republican in this year’s mayoral race, shared the fraternal order’s statement.

“The discussion before the vote at the [Fraternal Order of Police]’s meeting on Monday night covered a large number of grievances the FOP has with the Mayor. Among them were: The mayor’s inability to address situations quickly, demonstrated by his three-day delay in commenting on the Elm Street riot, leaving officers and the community in limbo. The administration’s public comments and eventual order to the city solicitor to force police to charge a felonious assault victim with misdemeanor disorderly conduct, solely to appease racial tensions at the urging of a few community leaders,” the announcement said. “FOP members have a complete lack of faith in the mayor’s ability to fix pressing issues or lead the city effectively moving forward. Deciding to push politics into the justice system is unforgivable.”

The statement not only addressed the attack and local responses, but also overall concerns when it comes to the mayor and “a series of leadership failures over the past month that have undermined public safety, police operations, and community trust.”

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“The vote reflects deep concerns among FOP members about the mayor’s inability to effectively address critical issues facing the city and its law enforcement officers,” the statement mentioned early on.

In response to the “no confidence” vote, Pureval provided a statement for WLWT:

“This is disappointing to hear, and I don’t believe it reflects the work we’ve done in collaboration with our officers. We’ve had the backs of law enforcement, without fail, every step of the way since taking office,” Pureval said.

“We’ve increased police funding to address staffing challenges faced by cities across the nation, we’ve supported requests for new lateral classes and additional resources, and I have further funding increases in the pipeline as we speak,” his statement continued. “I have been proud to stand with our officers at every turn as they make sacrifices to protect residents. All of us have a common goal: the health and safety of those we serve. This is a time to work together and continue improving safety in our city. We will not be letting up on that work, and we will not be letting up on our investments in law enforcement to make Cincinnati as safe as possible. I look forward to continuing to support all of our officers.”