Toledo police chief resigns after Finkbeiner dust-up; Navarre returns to helm

6/27/2006

Smith

Allan Detrich/The Blade
Buy This Image

Toledo police Chief Jack Smith today blamed a morning confrontation with Mayor Carty Finkbeiner for his triggering his resignation, which is effective tomorrow.

Mayor Finkbeiner named Mike Navarre, former police chief, to the job late this afternoon.

Chief Smith, 58, will return to his rank of captain. He said his meeting with the mayor about the department s anti-gang efforts turned into a screaming match.

This was very close to being physical, the chief said outside his office in police headquarters this afternoon.

To use his words, he is the big bull in the pasture, Chief Smith said. If he decides he wants to be the only bull in the pasture, I ll find another pasture.

Chief Smith said the mayor said he was hard-headed. He said he will tolerate criticism, but I will not tolerate abuse.

He said he is not the only person in the administration who is unhappy with the way they re being treated.

The chief, who was selected by the mayor to run the department, was promoted in January. Then Mr. Navarre, who led the force from 1998, took a lesser position as assistant chief.

Chief Smith is a 33-year veteran who was appointed to the department in March, 1973. He was promoted to sergeant in January 1983, to lieutenant in May, 1991, and to captain by Chief Navarre in May, 2002.

Chief Smith spent five years on active duty and 17 years in the reserves with the Marine Corps. He served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1970.

Read more in later editions of The Blade and toledoblade.com.