Rockford City Council will determine the next step in the case of a police officer who wants to return to duty after being fired five years ago. Oda Poole was one of two officers involved in the 2009 shooting of Mark Barmore, an unarmed man who was killed in a church daycare center.
This week, an Appellate Court agreed with an arbitrator that the city did not have just cause to fire Poole. But it vetoed her plan to return Poole to administrative leave until he can pass a psychological exam. Rockford’s Legal Director Patrick Hayes says the city is against that route, too. He says "the city has been confronted in this case with significant input from not only Officer Poole himself, but also retained a psychologist with a noted practice in fitness for duty of sworn law enforcement officers. And we felt we were compelled to seek his discharge under our obligation to the public."
In a news release, Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey said "This litigation provides insight into the difficulties of addressing police reform. While the leaders of many jurisdictions are criticized for turning a blind eye towards troubled officers, Illinois continues to perpetuate a system where nearly anonymous arbitrators conduct secret hearings to determine whether a municipality may discipline or discharge individuals who may no longer be capable of the extremely challenging position as police officers."
For now, Poole remains on administrative leave. Rockford City Council has several options to choose from as the litigation continues, ranging from a settlement with Poole to taking their side to the Illinois Supreme Court.
