McCann needed to go

Lorain Police Chief Jim McCann appears to have doomed his career with his own troubling words. On Monday, he reached a deal with city officials to retire effective Sept. 15. He had been facing a three-day unpaid suspension but decided to retire instead. Given the allegations that McCann was looking for a "dirty cop" to take care of someone, that was for the best. The allegation against McCann came to light while the Lorain Police Department's Office of Professional Standards was conducting a separate investigation into then-Lt. Corey Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks was fired in April after his discrimination allegations against McCann were deemed unfounded or too old to act upon. Middlebrooks, who is challenging his termination, also was in trouble for his job performance and his interactions with investigators. On Nov. 18, 2024, McCann was on his way to a promotion ceremony when he ran into Detective Craig Payne, who held the door for the chief. Payne told investigators that McCann stopped, looked at him and said, "I wish you were a dirty cop," the Middlebrooks report said. When Payne asked what he meant by that comment, McCann allegedly replied, "I just need a dirty cop. I just wish you were a dirty cop." As the conversation unfolded, McCann said he was looking for a "dirty cop" because "I need someone taken care of." Payne said he told the chief, "Well, that ain't me." As we've argued before, police chiefs should be on the lookout for dirty cops to root them out, not to do dirty work. The Middlebrooks report revealed a concerning pattern of Police Department personnel fearing retaliation. Indeed, Payne himself told investigators that he feared speaking to them about his interaction with McCann. He never reported the conversation to anyone higher up the chain of command, as he should have done, and investigators only learned about it from Middlebrooks. The Middlebrooks report left nagging questions unanswered, including whom McCann intended to target. The alleged search for a "dirty cop" was deemed irrelevant to the Middlebrooks investigation, and the report said McCann wasn't asked about it. Nevertheless, the allegations against McCann were enough for city officials to place him on paid leave not long after the report was released. (McCann has not commented publicly on Payne's allegations. In an email to our reporter Carissa Woytach on Wednesday, his lawyer declined to comment.) McCann did, however, deny to investigators that he had made comments about going after Safety/Service Director Rey Carrion's predecessor, Sanford Washington. Middlebrooks also leveled that accusation. Carrion wrote that McCann's "dirty cop" language was "unprofessional and unethical, even if it was intended as a joke." He's right. Police officers, from a rookie patrolman to the chief, should know better than to joke about misusing their incredible powers to target people they dislike. If the comments weren't intended as a joke, that would make them even more disturbing. Either way, the mere suggestion of using police powers to have "someone taken care of" threatened to undermine the faith the public has in the Lorain Police Department. Carrion continued in the disciplinary summary to say that the Office of Professional Standards "determined that Chief McCann's conduct did not result in any criminal behavior; however, for a statement of this nature from the Office of the Chief of Police is unacceptable, inappropriate and unprofessional conduct, and is subject to discipline." Carrion told Woytach that the disciplinary proceedings against McCann were based on the Middlebrooks report. The public should expect to learn more once the Lorain County Sheriff's Office wraps up a separate investigation into McCann's comments. Deputies should complete a full report and make it public. Regardless, it appears McCann will land softly in retirement. His pension will remain intact, and he'll continue to be paid until his retirement date arrives. During that time, he'll perform administrative duties, which appear mostly to be providing counsel to Deputy Chief Michael Failing, who is serving as acting chief. (Failing and Capt. AJ Matthewson are the only two officers eligible to take the test to qualify for promotion to the chief's job. It will be administrated later this year.) Moreover, McCann got a "heartfelt thank you" from the city in a joint statement that was included in the documents the city sent us announcing his retirement. "Chief McCann's years of service have contributed to a safer Lorain, introduced cutting-edge technology and specialized units, created partnerships with community leaders, and provided a relentless advocate for law enforcement," the statement said. Kind words, but they offer an overly rosy overview of McCann's tenure, which, as Mayor Jack Bradley noted in February during his State of the City address, coincided with a drop in violent crime last year. As we mentioned earlier, those who served under McCann feared retaliation. He had a reputation for making inappropriate comments, as even Washington acknowledged during the Middlebrooks investigation. He also didn't take criticism well, as evidenced by his decision to shut down the Police Department's social media accounts two years ago. That action was triggered because McCann didn't like the comments people were making about his department, including criticism of the actions of Patrol Impact Team members during an incident in February 2023. Legacies are complicated, but McCann's has been tarnished by his search for a dirty cop for all the wrong reasons.