CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati police officer has been fired after after her body cam captured her saying a racial slur while on duty and in uniform.
Footage from Officer Rose Valentino's body-worn camera and mobile video recording show her driving past Western Hills University High School on her way to the District Three station on Ferguson Road April 5. WCPO obtained the footage in July.
According to an internal report, Valentino turned on her lights and sirens to signal for parked cars waiting to pick up students to move.
"You gotta move," Valentino said. "F****** ridiculous, f****** a*******. Is she gonna f****** just sit there?"
As she starts driving again, Valentino says, "Oh I f****** hate them so much, God I hate this f****** world." She then rolls down her window at the station gate to enter.
When she rolls her window back up, Valentino mutters under her breath.
"F****** n******," she said. "I f****** hate em."
Valentino turns off her body-worn camera, but the mobile video recording in her cruiser captures her saying, "And there it is," as she pulls into the station parking lot.
According to the internal report, Valentino admitted to cursing at drivers who didn't move their cars. She said she used the racial slur in reference to a Black teen who flipped her off while walking down the sidewalk after school.
The internal report says Valentino claimed she had been "desensitized to racially offensive language by music and hearing people talk on the street" and "frequent exposure had allowed the slur to slip into her vernacular."
Valentino has been a police officer with CPD since 2008. Performance reports show Valentino consistently met or exceeded standards for patrolling. She trains officers who recently graduated from the academy and her supervisors said she was dedicated and that she "does great work."
The 14-year veteran has been reprimanded for not turning on her body camera multiple times, and she was one of three officers involved in a lawsuit involving race in November 2018.
The city settled the lawsuit with realtor Jerry Isham and prospective homeowner Anthony Edwards, who said they were illegally detained at a showing in West Price Hill after a retired police officer called 911 for a break-in. Court documents show Valentino escalated the situation by aiming her gun at the two men and putting them in handcuffs.
In March 2020, Valentino was convicted by plea of disorderly conduct after pushing and punching two family members — and using an umbrella to damage a car — while off duty. She was referred to a behavioral health center for anger management.
After a review of the case, Interim Police Chief Teresa Theetge approved the city manager's recommendation to terminate Valentino. Theetge released the following statement Monday:
“As the Interim Chief of the Cincinnati Police Department there are many things that I must take into consideration when determining the appropriate discipline for an officer’s misconduct," Theetge said. "Most importantly, I must consider the community’s trust. In law enforcement, the community’s trust is the foundation of what gives us the authority to perform our duties. Officer Valentino’s agitated demeanor and the statement she made while on duty is not only inexcusable and incredibly hurtful, but it damages the public’s trust we have worked so hard to build over the past 20 years, since the inception of the Collaborative Agreement. As the Interim Police Chief, I must also weigh Officer Valentino’s future ability to police a diverse community that relies upon an impartial party to protect and serve. Officer Valentino’s clear loss of her emotions and ready use of the racial slur tarnished her ability to work with any community member or member of the Cincinnati Police Department hurt by her hateful words. This significantly reduces, if not eliminates, Officer Valentino’s ability to be a productive member of the police department.I want to be clear; this type of hateful speech will not be tolerated by anyone who works for the Cincinnati Police Department, sworn or civilian."
It is still possible that the Fraternal Order of Police files a grievance against the decision, appealing the termination.
Two CPD officers are suing the city and former Chief Eliot Isaac for employment discrimination after disciplinary actions they received after using the same word while on the job. One officer is white, while the other is Black.
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