CINCINNATI — A second Cincinnati Police officer has been reprimanded for using a racial slur, according to city officials.
Officer Donte Hill said the N-word while responding to a family trouble call for service in Westwood on Sept. 26, according to an email from Police Chief Eliot Isaac to City Manager Patrick Duhaney.
District 3 supervisors initially investigated the incident and recommended a written reprimand for using coarse, violent or profane language, which Isaac approved.
However, Isaac wrote, it was brought to his attention after news broke about another officer saying the N-word during an arrest that Hill's conduct "was as egregious" as that of the other officer, Dennis Barnette. It is now being considered a violation for expressing prejudice, according to Isaac's email.
"Again this type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated inside the department," Isaac wrote.
Both incidents were recorded on body camera.
Barnette said the slur while arresting a woman in Roselawn Saturday, according to Isaac.
Hill's policing powers have been suspended and he is restricted to desk duty, as is Barnette. Both incidents have been referred to the Internal Investigations Section.
Duhaney wrote in an email to the City Council that Hill is African-American. He didn't mention Barnette's race.
"As stated previously, both Chief Isaac and I deem this type of language as unacceptable not in line with the standard of conduct we expect from City employees," Duhaney wrote.
