Ex-Toledo officer quits Cincinnati oversight job

6/20/2003

CINCINNATI - The executive director of Cincinnati's newly reorganized police watchdog agency who is a former Toledo deputy police chief has resigned after five months.

Nate Ford, who was paid an annual salary of $96,000, said in a resignation letter Wednesday that he could not devote enough time to the Citizen Complaint Authority because of family priorities.

Cincinnati created the agency in a commitment after a white officer shot and killed a fleeing unarmed black man, prompting three days of rioting in April, 2001.

The director oversees investigators who probe allegations of police misconduct, including excessive use of force, and reports to a seven-member board appointed by the mayor.

Before moving to Cincinnati, Mr. Ford was the executive director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in Toledo for 11/2 years.

He joined the Toledo Police Department in 1973 and rose through the ranks before his appointment in 1994 as one of three deputy chiefs.