CLEVELAND — On Monday, the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association began a vote of no confidence in the city's public safety director, Karrie Howard.
Howard has been scrutinized for comments he made during the "Not another Memphis" public forum last Monday.
"There's no trust," said Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association(CPPA). Follmer told 3News on Monday that Howard has displayed a lack of professionalism and has had inconsistencies over the last several years.
Police unions in Cleveland have called on Mayor Justin Bibb to discipline Howard, but the mayor has not yet released a statement.
"We think he should be terminated," said Follmer.
3News reached out to the Bibb's office multiple times since Friday, but has not heard back from the mayor as of yet.
"He's unfair to a lot of officers," said Follmer.
There are more than 1,000 members in the CPPA, and Follmer wants 80 to 90% percent of their membership to vote.
"All of our members should be concerned," said Follmer. "There's no controlling him, he's inconsistent and now obviously we see the bias coming out."
The controversy stems from what the CPPA says were "blatant bias" comments about the Irish history of the police department that Howard made at the forum.
Howard was asked during the event at The Word Church how to get young men interested in the police department. He responded by saying that descendants from Ireland have been historically applying for safety positions.
"The Irish flooded the police departments. The Irish flooded fire departments. The Irish flooded safety forces to the point where we have bagpipes, kilts, and you know all this green when we celebrate it," Howard added.
In a statement given to 3News, Howard apologized to "anyone who was hurt or offended" by his remarks. "During the panel discussion, I attempted to use a historical point to illustrate how a group of people created a culture of change by becoming part of the institution they sought to reform. These comments were intended to convey sincere admiration for the Irish Clevelanders who shaped our city by being the change they wanted to see—a point that I failed to fully articulate. Again, I deeply apologize for any pain or offense these comments have caused," he added.
In 2021, Follmer called for Howard's firing after four CDP officers were terminated and one was suspended. "Karrie Howard needs to be removed from office," Follmer stated at the time. "It's quite clear in our view he's on a political agenda to only make his resume by our discipline."
The results from the vote of no confidence will be released Wednesday morning at 11 a.m.