MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2015

Driving Chief Blackwell

           Last week at the Liberal Agenda Fishwrap, their latest editor Peter Bhatia promised he’d continue to hold civic, governmental, and educational institutions accountable for the work they do on our behalf and he would do so aggressively.

 And sure enough on Sunday, we saw Sharon Coolidge’s front-page story about how much it’s costing Over-Taxed Payers for Cincinnati’s Current Affirmative Action Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell’s so-called 90-Day Violence Reduction Plan shows shootings are up 25.6% over last year (“Overtime for Blackwell’s staff soars”) with extra pay for media relations and hoops planning.

One of The Fishwrap’s commenters even pointed out, Blackwell seems a lot like Bungals Coach Marvin Lewis. He can’t get fired no matter what.

And one of the officers raking in the overtime these days is Scott Johnson, the officer who drives Blackwell around town and is also involved in the basketball program.

Do any of our Feckless Fishwrappers remember that Officer Johnson was also then-Dainty DemocRAT Mayor Mark Mallory’s driver and personal bodyguard? Scotty’s current overtime rate is peanuts compared to the tens of thousands of dollars he made during Mallory’s mayoral term.

Mallory demanded that Johnson be assigned as his bodyguard because Mallory knew Johnson and was comfortable knowing Johnson would protect the privacy and secrecy of Mallory’s personal life.  What needed to be kept secret?

Now Johnson is da Chief’s driver and making thousands of dollars more in overtime.  What secrets are now being protected?  Blackwell’s residence, or better yet, just Blackwell’s whereabouts since nobody else seems to be able to find “the Ghost!”

Let’s face it.  You’ve either got to be very lucky to be both the Mayor and da Chief’s driver, or, you’ve had to kiss a lot of ass during your career to land the jobs no other Cincinnati Police Officer has ever held.

By the way, why has no other chief in the history of the Cincinnati Police Department ever needed a driver or posse except our two Affirmative Action Chiefs?  Could requiring a driver and all dat bling on da uniform just be a “Black thing?”  Maybe da’ just gots to have a posse so da’ looks impotin!

And was Da Chief really seen in full uniform Saturday afternoon at Finley Market? It was amazing to see him in Cincinnati on the weekend. Was he just shopping for heirloom tomatoes amid the rich white women of Indian Hill, Hyde Park, Kenwood, and Montgomery who were stupid enough to wear their ginormous diamond jewelry in the hood? And was Scotty Johnson carrying his purchases while making time-and-half? 

Check it out, Fishwrappers, if you really want to hold civic, governmental, and educational institutions accountable for the work they do on our behalf, and don’t forget to be aggressive about it.