Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac announces he will retire in 2022

Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac announced Monday he will retire within a year.

"Right now, due to my tenure and how our retirement system works, I plan to retire sometime in the first quarter of 2022," Isaac said in a statement. 

While the public knew his retirement was coming soon, this is the first time Isaac has put a time frame on it.

In an interview with The Enquirer, Isaac said he didn’t think the announcement would prompt much interest.

”I want to stay forever,” Isaac said, but explained the retirement rules are clear.

With Isaac staying through the end of 2021, that means the duty of selecting a new chief will come after November’s election and will happen under a new City Council and a new mayor.

“Chief Isaac is the best chief I have had the privilege to serve with, and I have served with many,” Mayor John Cranley told The Enquirer. “He knew the department before the Collaborative, embodies the progress we have made, and continues to innovate reform and crime fighting.”

Cranley said Isaac has led the city through the pandemic and a time of national political demonstrations with grace and dignity. The mayor said that among all the chiefs in the nation, Isaac stands out as he curbed crime when other cities have struggled since the pandemic.

“I am so thankful he will serve until the end of my term because I can’t imagine serving with anyone else,” Cranley said.

Isaac officially took over the police department in December 2015 after a particularly bad summer of gun violence.

He replaced Chief Jeffrey Blackwell, who was fired by then-City Manager Harry Black. Blackwell later received a $225,000 settlement from the city.

While Blackwell and the chief before him, James Craig, were hired from outside Cincinnati, Isaac was an internal promotion. He joined the Cincinnati police force in 1988 and worked in several departments.

In 2004, he was promoted to police captain, and about six months before taking the top spot he was named as assistant chief.

During his tenure, the city saw two years of historically low gun violence. He also obtained a master's degree from Xavier University since becoming chief.

Unlike many of his predecessors, he has been notoriously quiet in the press, but when he has spoken publicly, he has taken strong stances on reform.

"Chief Isaac has been a great leader for our police department," Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman told The Enquirer. "He has delivered progressive policing while maintaining a diverse police department. His data-driven policing has changed the culture of the Cincinnati Police Department forever.

"Lastly, his emphasis on the best training has been excellent for our police department. He is quiet, but he gets things done, which is all you can ask in an excellent police chief."

He has publicly acknowledged that the policies of the Cincinnati Police Department inflicted serious harm on Black communities as recently as the 1990s.

Though the department did face criticism for the mass arrests during the 2020 protests and civil unrest, Isaac himself called George Floyd's death and crime and took the time to reiterate that with officers throughout the city. He also kneeled with protesters.

In addition to the 2020 protests, Isaac also led the department through massive street protests after the death of Sam DuBose at the hand of a University of Cincinnati police officers. That officer was tried twice and each instance ended in a mistrial amid some of the largest demonstrations the city has ever seen.

Also under his watch, Cincinnati's 911 and officers came under scrutiny after the death of Kyle Plush, a teenager who became trapped in his vehicle and called police for help. Officers were unable to locate him but did not get out of their cars. 

After the tragedy, Isaac said: "There were some failures, and we have to do better." The Plush family was later awarded a $6 million settlement.

During his time as chief, Cincinnati saw its first "active shooter" situation in decades at the Fifth Third Tower. The gunman killed three people and injured two others. Cincinnati police responded within minutes, shooting and killing the suspect.

Cincinnati’s police union president Dan Hils said Isaac has sided with the union on important matters.

”Although the FOP and the Chief of Police are usually on the opposite side of the table, Chief Eliot Isaac has been reasonably good to work with,” Hils said. “Chief Isaac recently joined with the FOP and worked side by side with us to stop the dangerous Issue 3 which would have effectively defunded the police. We’ll continue to work with Chief Isaac this year as we work to put violent criminals in jail.”