The Whitehall Division of Police said it hopes the local branch of the Fraternal Order of Police will “remain neutral” following a personal injury lawsuit filed by a Columbus police officer against five Whitehall officers.
The Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9 is not a party in the lawsuit, which accuses the Whitehall officers of “reckless failure…to follow proper police tactics and department policy” when armed robbery suspects fled from their jurisdiction. The lodge did release a statement criticizing Whitehall police.
The plaintiff Columbus police officer, identified as “John Doe” in the complaint, was shot on July 6, 2023, by one of the three suspects in a shootout on Interstate 70 near downtown Columbus. He was taken to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in critical, life-threatening condition by another officer and hospitalized for weeks.
The shooter, Abdisamad Ismail, 19, died at the scene after being shot by other officers. The other two suspects in the armed theft of a Porsche SUV in Whitehall and the robbery of a Fifth Third Bank on Columbus’ Northwest Side were later arrested.
Columbus police weren’t warned by Whitehall police that Ismail and the two other armed robbers had stolen the SUV at gunpoint earlier that day at a Whitehall dealership and driven it into Columbus, according to the lawsuit. Nor were Columbus police notified that the suspects were robbing the bank until Whitehall police failed to trap the SUV in the bank parking lot with their unmarked vehicles, and a pursuit began that ended with the suspects stopping the vehicle in the middle of I-70 west and the shootout, the lawsuit alleges.
In a June 25 statement in support of the unnamed Columbus officer, FOP Capital City Lodge #9 President Brian Steel called the lawsuit “yet another chapter in a long and troubling pattern of failed leadership under Whitehall Police Chief Mike Crispin.”
“The entire incident was preventable and stands as one of the most poorly executed and botched police operations I have witnessed in my career,” Steel wrote.
Steel has long publicly criticized Whitehall police leadership, calling for Chief Crispen’s removal and an investigation into the department’s leadership and culture.
On June 27, the City of Whitehall and the Whitehall Division of Police issued a brief joint statement responding to Steel’s statement.
“We … hope that the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) will remain neutral and provide equal support to all of its members, including those serving in the Whitehall Division of Police,” Crispen wrote in the statement.
The statement emphasizes that the Whitehall police division and the city are not commenting on the lawsuit, and will “reserve judgment and allow the legal process to take its course.” The statement did express concern for the injured officer, who has been through some 20 major surgeries and will have to undergo many more.
“At the same time, we stand behind our officers who serve this community with professionalism and dedication each day, and we remain committed to a fair and impartial legal process for all involved,” the city and police division wrote in the statement.
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Whitehall responds to FOP criticism after 5 officers sued by injured Columbus cop
Reporting by Bailey Gallion, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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