Allowed to Ride Out on Full Pay: Why Chief McCann’s Retirement Deal Is a Betrayal of Accountability

After two years of documented retaliation, defamation, and abuse of power, Chief Jim McCann will retire—on full pay, pension in hand, and without facing meaningful consequences.

A Golden Handshake, Not a Reckoning

Just days ago, City Hall confirmed that Chief McCann will formally retire on September 15 under a “separation agreement” quietly finalized last Monday. In practice, he remains on paid administrative leave through mid-September, drawing his full $168,000 annual salary—plus the opportunity to sell back unused vacation and sick time—before slipping into a 72 percent pension for life. This deal was struck even as a Sheriff’s Office probe into his unprofessional remarks and potential misconduct continues.

Proven Retaliation Under Color of Law

It’s now beyond dispute that, during my own complaint process, Chief McCann weaponized his office in direct violation of my First Amendment and civil-rights protections. Newly disclosed emails from Assistant Law Director LaVeck show McCann intentionally misrepresenting my “protected complaints” to third parties—Crossroads Juvenile Justice, Applewood Centers, Juvenile Court Administrator Weitzel, even a CSWMFT Board member—despite knowing full well those reports were lawful and ethically required. That qualifies as retaliation under color of law, a felony, yet no meaningful consequence followed.

Sidestepping Suspension, Silencing Critics

Rather than face an unpaid disciplinary suspension for these abuses, McCann waived his right to a pre-disciplinary hearing and walked away with pay intact.

According to Safety/Service Director Rey Carrion, McCann’s quip that he “needed someone taken care of”—cited in a whistleblower’s complaint—was “unprofessional and unethical,” yet Carrion declined to impose any financial penalty.

Instead, citizens effectively purchased a peaceful exit, rewarding decades of leadership failures rather than demanding accountability.

Consulting While Under a Cloud of Inquiry

Even more galling: Acting Chief Michael Failing—McCann’s longtime deputy—will “consult” with him through mid-September. So the very leader accused of abusing badge and color-of-law powers remains on call, advising his own successor. This arrangement not only undermines the integrity of daily operations but exposes the City to serious liability: any guidance or decisions made during this period could be challenged as tainted by McCann’s ongoing misconduct, inviting both civil-rights lawsuits and insurance coverage disputes. It’s an insult to every officer who abides by the rules and every resident who expects impartial, ethical policing.

Closing the Door on Transparency

Allowing a chief under active inquiry to retire rather than face the outcome of that inquiry sends a clear message: reputational harm and public trust can be dismissed with a handshake. For two years, city officials insisted that the very emails proving McCann’s First Amendment retaliation “did not exist”—only to quietly produce them last week after Assistant Law Director LaVeck finally disclosed his correspondence with CSWMFT Board member Bill Hegerty.

The City waited nearly 730 days to admit these records existed, stonewalling every requests under Ohio’s Sunshine Laws.

By replacing disciplinary rigor with uninterrupted payroll, Lorain effectively closed the door on meaningful transparency and accountability. Residents deserve more than a farewell bonus; they deserve a department unburdened by the specter of its own disgraced leadership.

money

Earning While Investigation Looms

Over his 34-year tenure, McCann’s pay package ballooned well beyond his $125,000 base. With a 12 percent rank differential ($15,000) and $28,000 in longevity pay, his straight salary was roughly $168,000. In 2024, once sick-time and vacation sell-backs are added, his total compensation topped $235,876, making him the highest-paid City employee.

Yet under the September 15 separation deal, McCann continues drawing that $235,876-a-year package through mid-September—even as a Lorain County Sheriff’s Office probe into his conduct grinds on. He’s been on paid administrative leave since April 25, a span of 143 days, at an effective daily rate of about $646 ($235,876 ÷ 365). That adds up to $92,278 in taxpayer dollars flushed down the drain before his retirement bit kicks in—and that figure excludes pension accruals, benefits costs, or the ripple impact of having senior command effectively frozen. (My math could be off here it isn’t my strong suit)

In contrast, many departments place officers on unpaid leave when facing similar inquiries, thereby shielding the public from shouldering the full financial burden. Lorain’s inverse policy—paying its chief in full while under “separation” investigation—represents a striking break with best practices and a glaring waste of resources precisely when the community can least afford it.

A Culture of Impunity

Under Chief McCann’s watch, dozens of ethics red flags were raised—and promptly swept under the rug. From blatant ADA violations to silenced social-media commentary, his tenure was marked by high-profile complaints that generated months of overtime and cost the City tens of thousands in investigative resources, only to conclude with no meaningful discipline.

Disabled Veteran Denied Entry
In June 2021, I was turned away at Rockin’ on the River with my service dog—despite clear ADA protections. That incident prompted a formal complaint, yet the department’s “investigation” amounted to little more than procedural lip service. No training was mandated, no policy revised, and no apology offered.

Lieutenant Middlebrooks’ Discrimination Probe
When Lt. Corey Middlebrooks alleged in mid-2022 that he’d been demoted and subjected to racist slurs, Lorain’s Office of Professional Standards spent nearly a year interviewing witnesses, drafting reports, and logging overtime. Ultimately, Middlebrooks was fired on April 17, 2024—just weeks before an OPS report quietly concluded his claims were “unsubstantiated or untimely.” The cost of that investigation? Easily six figures in personnel time, legal review, and administrative overhead.

My Two-Year First Amendment Battle
Between June 2021 and September 2023, I filed repeated complaints over service-dog denials, Facebook censorship, and unlawful leaks of my confidential LPD records. Those “protected complaints” triggered internal and external inquiries—including a bad-faith licensing complaint to the CSWMFT Board—yet no officer was disciplined for retaliating against me.

Across at least three major inquiries—Middlebrooks, my own, and the service-dog incident—the City expended exorbitant time and money, only to preserve the status quo. Under McCann’s leadership, accountability was always optional.

Rewarding Abdication
Now, rather than face the outcome of these investigations, Chief McCann walks away with full pay through mid-September, pension rights intact, and a tidy separation agreement in hand. Meanwhile, those who dared to speak up—Middlebrooks and I—lost our careers and saw our reputations trashed.

By allowing McCann to retire under this cloud—rather than placing him on unpaid leave or pursuing the discipline his conduct demanded—the City sends a stark message: leadership failures and color-of-law abuses can be shrugged off with a handshake.

Our community deserves better than this culture of impunity. Meaningful transparency, consistent policy enforcement, and genuine accountability are not optional luxuries—they are nonnegotiable. Until Lorain’s leaders commit to those principles, public trust will remain fractured, and the next scandal will be only a matter of “when,” not “if.”

Community Voices Met with a Whisper

Residents who demanded answers found empty meeting rooms and delayed records requests. Emails from concerned citizens and civil-rights groups went unanswered or were denied outright. While other municipalities have hosted public forums to address policing concerns, Lorain offered silence and an exit strategy for its embattled chief. Now, as McCann continues to collect pay, constituents are left wondering whether any leader will ever face the scrutiny he evaded.

Counting the Cost—Beyond the Paycheck

By green-lighting Chief McCann’s retirement with full pay and benefits, Lorain’s leadership has essentially declared all of his controversies to be “resolved,” while quietly absorbing the real price tag: millions of dollars in hidden and overt costs along with a deep erosion of public confidence. Consider just a few of the line items now written off:

• Overtime for Internal Investigations: The nearly year-long probes into allegations by Lt. Corey Middlebrooks and my own service-dog and Facebook complaints generated hundreds of hours of sworn interviews, file reviews, witness statements, and follow-up meetings. At an average combined rate (officer pay, supervision, legal support) of $75 per hour, that easily exceeds $100,000—all before any disciplinary action was taken.

• Civil-Rights Settlements and Legal Fees: Civil-rights lawyers commonly bill $300–$450 per hour. Even a single federal lawsuit over First Amendment retaliation or ADA violations can easily top $250,000 in defense costs alone, not counting potential plaintiff awards. Lorain’s “sunk costs” include not only the direct payouts, but also the municipal insurance premiums that will climb in the coming years.

• Morale, Recruitment and Retention: Veteran officers and mission-driven staff watched as whistleblowers were chilled and then dismissed. Turnover spiked, new-hire classes underfilled, and a once-proud department became known as “where complaints go to die.” Quantifying the price of institutional distrust is impossible, but it is paid every day in stranded shifts, cancelled community events, and a palpable drop in citizen engagement.

Yet none of these cumulative expenses slowed the path to McCann’s retirement check. From $235,000 in total 2024 compensation—plus the sale of sick and vacation time—to a guaranteed 72% pension based on his top salary, the City’s final act has been to underwrite not accountability, but continuity of a failing status quo.

Every dollar spent on fruitless investigations, every hour of morale-draining overtime, and every penny handed over in legal defense now lines the pockets of a man whose legacy rests on unanswered questions and the very abuses he escapes. That is the real cost of letting Lorain’s chief retire unscathed—and the bill that future taxpayers will continue to pay.

Final Thought

McCann’s departure under a cushioned deal isn’t just the end of a career—it’s a crossroads for Lorain. Will leaders settle for a polished exit that glosses over two decades of ethical lapses, or will they demand real, enforceable change—mandatory body-camera policies, independent civilian oversight, and genuine consequences for misconduct? Moreover, with newly disclosed emails from Assistant Law Director LaVeck to CSWMFT Board member Bill Hegerty proving bad-faith retaliation and defamation, the City must finally offer fair compensation and settle my claims rather than force yet another costly lawsuit. Taxpayers deserve more than a golden handshake for sustained leadership failures; they deserve a police force led by someone who truly earns both their badge and their trust—and a community that stands up when those in power abuse their authority.