Sheriff finalizing plans to demote lieutenants

By Mark Puente, The Plain Dealer
November 28, 2009, 5:02AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A plan to demote seven sheriff's lieutenants has taken longer than expected, but it is moving forward and could occur in January, Sheriff Bob Reid said.

The seven lieutenants were promoted from sergeant and given a $7,000 pay raise in January, when former Sheriff Gerald McFaul abolished the entire rank of sergeant and laid off 18 deputies. Several of the sergeants promoted to lieutenant had personal ties to McFaul and his family.

Reid announced in August that he planned to force the lieutenants back to their former rank of sergeant because they should not have been promoted without a competitive process under those circumstances.

He plans to only have four lieutenants. Only one of the remaining two lieutenants will remain in his position and another retired. A promotional exam will be offered for all sergeants to compete for the other three lieutenant positions, Reid said in August.

Reid said this week that he plans to meet with the lieutenants and sergeants next week to discuss the reclassification and promotional exam. Agreements needed to be reached on the process with the unions before the moves could be made, Reid said.

Without the agreements, he feared union grievances and unfair labor charges could burden the process. He is hopeful the moves will occur in January.

"I am disappointed that we haven't done the promotional process," Reid said. "I want a very clean process. It's better to move a little cautiously on this."

The office is finalizing an agreement with a company to provide the promotional exams. The deputies will be given about three weeks to study for the exam, Reid added.

The lieutenants attempted to unionize this year after a state labor board ruled that McFaul violated the law by axing the sergeants when they were trying to unionize. They eventually voted to join the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. The union called Reid's plan "a fair and viable resolution."