GRATIS — New pictures obtained by News Center 7’s I-Team show two police officers from Preble County more than 50 miles away from their village in Cincinnati.
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Gratis Police Chief Tonina Lamanna and Police Officer Jeffrey Baylor drove for more than an hour and 15 minutes to get from their department to the Cincinnati schools.
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On Friday, News Center 7’s I-Team Lead Investigator John Bedell obtained still images from Cincinnati Public Schools security video.
As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, it shows Lamanna and Baylor at three Cincinnati Public Schools campuses.
The district said Lamanna and Baylor didn’t show any warrant or paperwork at their campuses for what the district said was a pair of officers claiming a welfare check.
Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent said the two didn’t interact with any students.
“We only give access to children to a parent. So either a parent or a parent consent form that we have on file,” Shauna Murphy, Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent, said.
The district added that Lamanna and Baylor said they were with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Online federal records the I-Team reviewed show the Gratis Police Department is the only law enforcement agency in Preble County that partners with ICE as a part of its 287(G) Program.
According to federal documents and ICE’s website, Gratis’ agreement allows the agency “…to enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during their routine police duties."
The I-Team also got the written memorandum of agreement between the police department and the federal agency.
At one point, the document said Gratis PD can perform immigration enforcement action “...under the direction and supervision of ICE within the (Law Enforcement Agency’s),” in this case, Gratis PD’s “jurisdiction.”
But ICE sent the I-Team a statement that said enforcement action was not what was going on Wednesday in Cincinnati:
“ICE does not target schools for enforcement actions. (Wednesday), a local law enforcement partner attempted to verify school enrollment and conduct welfare checks on children who arrived unaccompanied across the border. To be crystal clear this was not an ICE officer or an enforcement action.”
News Center 7’s I-Team Lead Investigator called and texted two phone numbers he found for Lamanna on Friday. He has not heard back at the time of writing.
On Sunday, the Village of Gratis will hold an emergency meeting to discuss “Possible Discipline of Police Personnel” for this incident.
We will continue to follow this story.
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