Cincinnati police officer who used racial slur fired
City officials approved the termination Monday of Cincinnati police officer Rose Valentino, who was caught by a body camera in April using a racial slur while stuck in traffic outside Western Hills University High School.
"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,” Interim Police Chief Teresa Theetge said in a news release announcing the officer's termination.
"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," Theetge said.
According to an internal investigation, Valentino said, "F---ing n-----s, I f---ing hate them!" The statement came after a male student walking by her cruiser gave her the middle finger, the report said.
According to the report, Valentino, who is white, said she does not have any racial biases that have affected her work and told investigators she does not use racial slurs.
"Officer Valentino believed that she was being affected by her profession and has since sought treatment," the report states.
Shortly after Valentino's incident came to light, another officer, Kelly Drach, was suspended without pay for seven days after incidents in which she used racial slurs in November 2021, according to police records.
In 2020, Valentino was charged with domestic violence and criminal damaging following a fight with her sister. She pleaded not guilty. Valentino’s police powers were suspended, and she was assigned to an administrative assignment. The charge was reduced to disorderly conduct. The court ordered her to take anger management classes and sentenced her to two years probation, records show.
In 2019, she was one of three Cincinnati police officers named, along with the city of Cincinnati, in a federal lawsuit by a realtor and prospective homebuyer. The men alleged they were illegally detained after a retired Cincinnati officer called 911 to report a break-in and they were held at gunpoint.
Three days after the suit was filed, the city of Cincinnati apologized and announced a $151,000 settlement.
In 2011, Valentino was one of four female Cincinnati police officers featured in TLC’s Police Women reality documentary series “Police Women of Cincinnati.”
She joined the police force in 2008. During her last four yearly performance reviews, her rating was "exceeds standards."
Valentino has two reprimands in her personnel file. Both were for "failure of good behavior." The first was for showing body camera footage from a homicide to members of her family in 2019. The second was related to the domestic violence incident in 2020.
City officials said the Cincinnati chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police may file a grievance to challenge whether the department had just cause to fire Valentino.
"No Cincinnati police officer should use the N-word or any other racial slur and anyone who does is wrong," Sgt. Dan Hils, president of Cincinnati's police union, said in a statement. "Officer Valentino is entitled to challenge her termination and the FOP will represent her if she does."
Enquirer reporter Cameron Knight contributed.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati police officer who used racial slur fired
