Columbus police Deputy Chief Jennifer Knight suspended for missing drug test
Columbus Deputy Police Chief Jennifer Knight has been placed on leave after failing to show up for a random drug test on Monday.
Knight was placed on leave on Thursday. Her lawyer, Zachary Gottesman, of Cincinnati, said on Saturday that she was contacted by the city's human resources department to take a test at 10 a.m. Monday.
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Gottesman said that she couldn't make the test because she was working on personnel assignments for Saturday's Ohio State-Michigan State football game. He said she was also working on a police recruiting program at Cedarville University.
Knight was then asked if 2 p.m. would work. But her work prevented her from taking the test then, too, Gottesman said.
"They took her badge and gun Thursday morning," Gottesman said. "She was shocked they relieved her from duty," he said.
Knight took a private drug test on Thursday and passed it, he said. "She was clean.
In an exclusive statement to The Dispatch, Knight said the community and the Division deserve better than the way she is being treated.
"This is a personal attack and what happens when you come forward and report what you believe is misconduct," Knight said. "We should all be laser focused on reducing violent crime and instead this is what we are focused on."
Gottesman said he and his client believe the city is retaliating against Knight for her opinion about how the division handled the situation involving police Lt. Melissa McFadden, whose book, "Walking the Thin Black Line: Confronting Racism in the Columbus Division of Police," was published in September 2020.
Gottesman said they are waiting to hear more from safety officials as to how they will proceed.
"We’re hoping sanity prevails," he said.
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"Jennifer Knight has been a Division of Police officer for 25 years with no prior discipline," he said.
In a statement, Glenn McEntyre, spokesman for the Columbus Department of Public Safety, said the action was taken per city policy for failure to show up for a random drug test. He attached copy of the city's policy.
The city has never placed a deputy chief on relieved of duty, what the division calls suspended, prior to Knight's status on Thursday.
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An investigation by New Albany attorney Marc Fishel into allegations made by McFadden of retaliation by Knight and others found that Knight, who filed an internal affairs complaint against McFadden, was acting in retaliation.
Division policy does not allow officers to speak negatively about the division in a public forum and to get prior approval for actions such as publishing a book about the division.
Knight is also one of about a dozen officers who have taken steps to potentially file a federal lawsuit against former Safety Director Ned Pettus, the city, McFadden and a EEO complaint investigator for the city. While the lawsuit has not yet been filed, the allegations involved also center around McFadden's allegations of complaints being filed against her as retaliation.
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McFadden currently has a pending federal lawsuit against the Division, alleging discrimination. In 2018, then-Chief Kim Jacobs had recommended that McFadden be fired after the lieutenant was accused of fostering an "us-versus-them" and having a "black militancy mindset." She was also accused of not properly evaluating a black sergeant because she didn't "believe in black-on-black crime."
Knight has been the architect of the city's Safe Streets program for officers and been a visible face of the division, walking with protesters in Downtown Columbus in 2020, as well as leading media briefings on crime in the University District.
Knight also helped start the Police and Community Together (PACT) team that works to address human trafficking with a more holistic approach, including linking potential victims with services.
mferench@dispatch.com
@MarkFerenchik
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police deputy chief suspended, claims retaliation
