COPS IMPERSONATING COPS

Hot News Anybody want to venture a guess as to who this is? Or this? Well, this is the same woman. Now we got the same woman again, but she's got all kind of paper around her. Wonder why she has all this paper around her. Let's continue and find out, shall we? Well, look at that. It's Tonina Nina LaManna. Now, she is the Gratis Police Chief of a small village of Gratis, Ohio, near Dayton. Now, we got Officer Jeffrey Baylor. He works for her. Now, here they are together. What in God's name do you think the two of them been up to together? Well, here they are again. They're in Western Hills University High School, which is not even in Gratis. It's an hour drive away out of their jurisdiction. They even went to two other schools while they were there, posing as ICE agents. That's right. Federal agents. So, we got two cops impersonating cops. Now, I'll give her this. She did have a 287 MOA, which is a formal agreement between ICE and them. And she's only allowed to do, let's say, ICE duties under ICE supervision and only within her jurisdiction. Now, you can pause and read about all of that, but let's watch this. Valerie Murphy says out-of-town police officers drove from over an hour away. Yeah, Tonya, we learned they were from Gratis. That is a small community south of Dayton up in Preble County. And CPS Superintendent Shawna Murphy says the chief of that department, along with one of her officers, claimed to do work for ICE. Any threat to our staff or students is alarming to me. And you viewed that as a threat? I viewed that as a threat. Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Shawna Murphy made her feelings clear. She spoke with me and other reporters during an impromptu press conference Thursday about what she calls an unauthorized visit to the district. They identified themselves as acting on behalf of ICE. It happened Wednesday afternoon at three Westside schools, Western Hills University High School, Recy Price Elementary and Roberts Academy. The police officers came from Gratis, a village south of Dayton, claiming to conduct wellness checks on some students. Murphy says they did not have warrants or paperwork and her staff turned them away. They had on police uniforms. They did not have ICE on their backs. But nonetheless, our staff was felt very heightened sense of being alerted and uncomfortable with this. What is the protocol when it comes to police officers, ICE agents or alleged ICE agents coming to schools to gain access? We only give access to children through their parent. So either directly a parent or a parent consent that we know we have on file. The Gratis Police Department does contract with ICE through the 287G program under the task force model. It allows officers to enforce limited immigration authority, but that enforcement must be within the agency's jurisdiction. And prioritize the safety of our children at all times. But I would assure you, as I open by saying school, Cincinnati Public Schools is extremely safe place and many times one of the safest places our kids can be. Our staff will take care of their children. Now, the ICE spokesperson did not answer my question as to why this police department was operating outside of their jurisdiction. I met with Mayor Johnson and spoke with him a few hours ago, but he said no comment until he meets with all of the village council members. But I did speak with the local reporter out here with the paper. And he told me that the mayor told him they were planning an emergency meeting here at the administrative office, but not enough council members were able to attend. Gratis Mayor Kevin Johnson told me the village did not have a special meeting Thursday afternoon. He said village officials were trying to find the best time for all council members to meet. After they have that meeting, Mayor Johnson said he'll give a statement about Gratis Police Chief actions in Cincinnati. A spokesperson from ICE sent me a statement saying in part, ICE does not target schools for enforcement actions. Yesterday, a law enforcement partner attempted to verify school enrollment and conduct welfare checks on children who arrived across the border. To be crystal clear, this was not an ICE officer. New Center 7 looked into Chief LaManna's work history. In 2017, the Dayton Police Department fired her. It said she lied to internal investigators. Her name also shows up on what's called the Brady List. Brady List. Well, that means she's a liar and a bad cop. How in the world did she ever get hired as Chief of Police? All of these are just some of the courts and police service records that we have reviewed concerning Gratis Police Chief Tenina LaManna to get a better picture of how and where she has served over the course of nearly 27 years policing north of greater Cincinnati. Court records largely stem from lawsuits she filed against the Dayton Police Department towards the end of her nearly 17-year tenure there. The first, a federal civil rights lawsuit filed in 2016, alleging inappropriate gender-related questions in hiring, like what she would do if she became pregnant or whether she was strong enough to handle a canine. That suit was eventually dismissed and her appeal rejected in 2019. Dayton Police fired her in 2017, alleging she lied in this official statement about accessing records related to then-Police Chief Richard Beal. That case was also later dismissed. In 2020, she again sued Dayton PD, claiming defamation for allegedly being placed on a list for distrustful officers known as a Brady List. The court found in favor of Dayton, saying in their 2022 ruling that three adjudicating bodies affirmed her termination for being untruthful, we conclude that the court did not abuse its discretion when it found, by a preponderance of evidence, that LaMonna knowingly falsified her special report. According to the Ohio Attorney General's Office, LaMonna then bounced around from Union to Harveysburg to Camden before reaching Gratis, and eventually reaching Chief here in less than a year. In her most recent evaluation before Gratis, Camden Police Chief Matt Spurlock gave her an overall excellent review, writing, quote, Well, obviously Police Chief Spurlock don't have a damn clue what he's talking about or he's just covering for. Which one do you think? According to her resignation letter from 2023, she appears to have left in good standing. Once again, LaMonna did not respond to my request for comment on this story. Village officials will be meeting on Sunday in a special meeting to decide potential punishments for her and one of her colleagues. We will, of course, be there. Sean DeLancey, WCPO 9 News. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that Officer Baylor resigned after this story broke.