CINCINNATI — The search for the city's next top cop has barely started, but three officials promoted to the highest spots in the department could make their marks as candidates for the job.
It's too early to tell if newly-promoted Interim Police Chief Eliot Isaac, Interim Executive Assistant Police Chief David Bailey and Interim Assistant Police Chief Doug Wiesman will apply for the position Jeffrey Blackwell held before City Manager Harry Black fired him Wednesday.
But it wouldn’t be the first time high-ranking department leaders, including those in interim positions, competed for the department's most-coveted spot.
“These appointments will begin the process of allowing the department to heal itself quickly and reestablish operational integrity, communications, and moral cohesion and stability,” Black wrote in a 35-page report detailing why he fired the police chief.
Black said Thursday he will reach out to a variety of people in the community to seek feedback about whether the city should conduct an internal or external search for the next chief. Blackwell, hired in 2013, came to Cincinnati from Columbus after serving as the deputy chief there.
City spokesman Rocky Merz said there is no timeline established for the police chief search.
Here's what you need to know about the department's newest leadership team. Could one of these leaders be Cincinnati's next police chief?
Lt. Col. Isaac Elliot, Interim Police Chief
Lt. Col. Eliot Isaac
Just a month and a half before his promotion to interim police chief, Black appointed Isaac to lead the support bureau as an assistant chief on July 27. The 49-year-old has worked for the police department for 26 years and has accumulated 27 commendations during his tenure.
- He joined the Cincinnati Police Department department in 1988.
- He was promoted to captain in 2004 — a rank he held for more than a decade. Captain is the fourth-highest rank in the department.
- As a police captain, Issac worked the night shift in the patrol bureau before he later helped with administrative matters in in the bureau and then moved to the internal investigations section. He led District 4 for five years before moving to the criminal investigations section in 2012.
- Just a month before his appointment to assistant police chief, Isaac moved to the department's patrol administration section.
Issac exceeded overall standards in his 2013, 2012 and 2013 performance evaluations — the only evaluations included in his department personnel file.
“District 4, in total, is a far better place due to the work of Captain Issac. Tremendous crime reductions were achieved and maintained,” wrote former Assistant Police Chief James Whalen on Issac’s evaluation in October 2012.
Whalen added that Isaac helped resolve administrative problems at District 4 over his five-year tenure there.
In 2010, Thomas Streicher Jr. wrote: “(Isaac) has produced incredibly proficient results as district commander — far outpacing all others who preceded him at District 4.”
Isaac has a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Xavier University and is pursuing a master’s degree in human resources development at Xavier. He graduated from Forest Park high School in 1984 and served in the U.S Army National Guard.
He serves as a volunteer with the international faith-based organization H.O.P.E Worldwide. He is a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and a member of the FBI National Associates -- an executive level leadership course for senior police officers, many of whom may one day become a chief of a department.
Lt. Col. Dave Bailey, Interim Executive Assistant Chief Of Police
Lt. Col. Dave Bailey
Dave Bailey has worked for the Cincinnati Police Department for 28 years. Before his latest promotion, Bailey held a brief stint as the assistant chief in charge of the patrol bureau — a role he filled after former Executive Assistant Chief Paul Humphries retired earlier this year and Whalen became second-in-command. The 51-year-old has received 67 commendations during his tenure at the department.
- Bailey joined the police department in 1987.
- He moved his way up the ranks and became a police captain in 2005 — a position he held for 9 years before his promotion to lieutenant colonel in 2013. Lieutenant Colonel is the third-highest rank in the department.
- As a police captain, he oversaw the patrol bureau as a night chief. He also worked in the communication section, District 5, the planning investigations section and the special investigations section.
- Once promoted to lieutenant colonel in 2013, Bailey moved to the office of criminal and special investigations.
- Before becoming the assistant chief in charge of the patrol bureau earlier this year, he oversaw the support bureau as an assistant chief.
Bailey exceeded standards in his 2012, 2011 and 2010 performance evaluations -- the only evaluations included in his department personnel file.
“Captain Bailey continues to be a leader in the Patrol Bureau in the areas of problem-solving and use of nontraditional resources to overcome obstacles,” wrote former Assistant Chief James Whalen on Bailey’s performance evaluation in July 2011.
In Whalen’s 2010 review of Bailey, he talked highly of Bailey’s rapport with communities and his strong relationship and trust with his assigned officers. He noted that Bailey had trouble dealing with layoffs that almost impacted the department.
“Captain Bailey is reminded to consider Department-wide implications and impact before reacting to issues that present themselves,” Whalen wrote.
Bailey is a 1982 graduate of Princeton High School. He worked for seven years as a manager at an oil company before joining the department.
Capt. Doug Wiesman, Interim Assistant Police Chief
Capt. Doug Wiesman
Doug Wiesman has worked for the Cincinnati Police Department for 25 years. Before his promotion as interim assistant police chief, Wiesman led the department's training unit. The 51-year-old has received 70 commendations during his tenure.
- Wiesman joined the department in 1990.
- He moved his way up through the ranks and became a police captain in 2005.
- As a police captain, he worked in District 2 and in District 1 before becoming the commander of the training unit.
Wiesman exceeded standards on his 2015, 2014 and 2013 evaluations — the only evaluations included in his department personnel file.
“The Police Academy staff under the direction of Captain Wiesman is certainly one of the finest in the country and is recognized as such throughout the policing industry,” wrote Bailey in Wiesman’s May performance review.
Wiesman has enhanced the curriculum for police recruits and expanded in-service training options within the department, Bailey said.
Bailey wrote in his most recent review that he had no doubt Wiesman would one day compete for the department’s top position.
"Doug has certainly been a trusted and valued asset to me not only during his most recent service in the Support Bureau but throughout my entire career,” Bailey wrote.
This isn’t the first time Wiesman has led a bureau in an interim role. According to his 2013 evaluation, he served as an acting bureau commander on a number of occasions as the department went through retirement transitions and a lengthy delay in determining assistant chief replacements.
Wiesman is a certified police cycling instructor with the International Police Mountain Bike Association, according to his personnel file. He graduated from Northwest High School in 1982 and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati in Biological Sciences. He also has an associate's degree from Cincinnati State Technical College in the Technical Study of Law Enforcement.
Who Applied For Chief Job Last Time?
Twenty-eight people applied for the 2013 chief opening that Blackwell ultimately won. Former assistant police chief Paul Humphries served as interim police chief during that search and later applied for the permanent job. Bailey also applied for the spot.
Aside from Bailey and Humphries, Former District 1 Captain Gary Lee was the only other internal candidate.
External candidates included:
- Ann Young, Captain at Los Angeles Police Department
- James Barren, Former Chief at Detroit Police Department
- Melvin Turner, Second Deputy Chief at Detroit Police Department
- Bryan Norwood, Former Police Chief in Richmond, Virginia
- Vincent Demasi, Police Chief in West Palm Beach, Florida
- Jack Barnhart, Former Special Agent and Regional Security Officer for the U.S. Department of State
