Dover releases more details on the independent investigation of Police Chief Thomas Johnson’s alleged misconduct.
The investigation was done by 21st Century Policing as an independent, third party look into misconduct allegations against Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen and Dover Police Chief Thomas Johson- costing the city about $50,000.
The report concluded Chief Johnson did work a secondary job with Penn State during the typical work hours in Dover, and used his city owned vehicle for personal use, such as a family vacation.
City Councilmember David Anderson says upon reading the report, he didn’t learn anything new, Anderson notes the City approved of Johnson’s secondary job at Penn State, but there is an issue with the vehicle usage.
He adds that rules exceptions made for executives in the Dover employee handbook might need revisiting.
“I believe it should be fixed. We can negotiate exactly how that looks, but I believe the handbook needs to reflect the ordinance a lot better," he said. "A daily exemption is not an exemption, it's a rule."
That's in response to the report's conclusion that the main issue in Johnson's conduct was an "institutional" failure, arguing clear expectations were not set for Johnson’s conduct.
But City Councilmember Dr. Roy Sudler, Jr., says it could have been an opportunity for Johnson to display leadership.
“I think that is a disservice to our constituents to allow individuals to break the ordinance. [Especially] on the backs of taxpayers dollars- especially when confronted with all these tax and utility hikes.” he said. "If you know better, do better."
Dover originally only released findings about Christiansen, citing privacy concerns over details included in the section about Johnson- but following a ruling from the Delaware DOJ, that section has also been released with sensitive information redacted.
Johnson told DPM in a statement that his obligation to his subordinates prevents him from contributing further to discussion on this matter,
"As the Chief of Police, in addition to all of my other responsibilities, there is an expectation that I protect the rights of my subordinates as it relates to personnel matters. I will not be the first to break faith with the long-standing principle that staff members offering testimony during an administrative internal investigation have an expectation of confidentiality, such that their statements may be frank, true, and free of retribution." he said. "Any further contribution on my part to the discussion of this report will continue to draw undue attention to other persons who have not waived their rights to the protections afforded them under the law, including those who can easily be identified, despite the redactions in the latest version of the report."
