Whitehall police officer fired after investigation into falsifying confession

WHITEHALL, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Whitehall police officer was fired Thursday after an investigation into allegations that she falsified evidence, leading to a wrongful arrest and felony charges against a woman.

According to Chief Mike Crispen, Officer Brooke Cano was found to have documented a confession that never happened. The false report led to the woman's arrest and detention.

In her report, Cano wrote the woman had admitted to fleeing from police, a felony charge, and mentioned details of the investigation she would only know if she was guilty. However, officers later determined Cano's line of questioning was faulty, and that the woman never admitted to fleeing when reviewing a recording of the arrest.

Cano was also an officer in the local branch of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), a union for police officers. Brian Steel, local FOP president, called Cano's termination retaliatory, citing previous union members who were also terminated at Whitehall. Steel said Cano was the last remaining officer representative and only female officer for the FOP employed at Whitehall.

Steel said also he told Whitehall Mayor Michael Bivens three weeks ago that he worried Cano might be fired, and accused Bivens of "demonstrating a lack of concern or respect" for Whitehall police.

According to documents from the investigation into Cano, she was disciplined previously for using abusive language toward detainees and failing to activate her body camera. Cano also previously received disciplinary action when she was found to have used excessive force against a pregnant woman, failed to provide proper medical attention during a use-of-force arrest and called the woman's companion a derogatory name.

In that instance, when a detainee asked for medical attention, Cano responded, "You have the right to remain silent, I'd exercise that right and just shut up!" according to disciplinary documents. Crispen said Whitehall police would not tolerate this behavior, leading to Cano's termination.

Cano joined the force three years ago, coming from the Pickaway County Sheriff's Office, where she was applauded for outstanding service and was believed to be the force's first female road supervisor, according to reporting by the Circleville Herald.

The termination comes as Whitehall City Council is weighing a resolution to investigate the Division of Police's work environment, which Steel and the FOP have called for since a previous union representative was fired from Whitehall police in July.

The agenda for the next Council meeting is not yet public, but the resolution had its second of three readings on Dec. 3. The next Council meeting is scheduled for Dec. 17.