CLEVELAND — An incident involving the federal monitor overseeing Cleveland police reforms took place outside the Jack Cleveland Casino at 2:34 a.m. on Jan. 7, according to police records.
An off-duty police officer, who was working secondary employment at the casino, requested a police car because Karl Racine was "intoxicated" and "refusing to leave."
A police audio recording said Racine was already gone when officers arrived outside the building.
Here is the transcript of the recording:
"A Mr. Karl Racine was here. He was pretty intoxicated. He was refusing to leave. He has now left the outside of the building."
News 5 reached out to Racine.
In a statement to News 5, Racine said that he was looking for a bite to eat, was denied entry, and returned to his hotel.
"I am confident that I comported myself respectfully and appropriately," he wrote.
Below is Racine's full statement:
"Having flown into Cleveland that evening, I was looking for somewhere to have a late dinner and was told the Casino was one of the few places still serving food. I sought entry to have a bite to eat, but was denied entry, and returned to my hotel. I am confident that I comported myself respectfully and appropriately with the casino employees and the off duty officer. Indeed, that is the reason I questioned why I was being denied admission, and why I subsequently informed the Chief of Police of the occurrence. I chose not to file a complaint because I did not want this interaction to be a distraction from the important work we are doing."
Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd confirmed Racine told her about his interaction with the off-duty officer on Jan. 8, "during which he was denied entry to the casino."
Todd said she asked if he wanted to file a formal complaint. He declined.
No further action was taken.
Below is the full statement from Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd:
"Chief Todd confirms that during a previously scheduled meeting on January 8th, Mr. Racine informed her of an interaction he had with an off-duty officer, during which he was denied entry to the casino. As with any information that could be considered a complaint, Mr. Racine was asked if he wished to file a formal complaint. He declined, and no further action was taken."
Racine has been overseeing Cleveland Police reforms for two years.
According to court records, Cleveland paid his law firm, Hogan Lovells, $1.2 million between April 2023 and June 2024.
Current bills have been unavailable. The City of Cleveland and Racine have argued over their legal bills in court for months.
Cleveland has been under a federal consent decree since May 2015, after a U.S. Department of Justice investigation found Cleveland Police engaged in a "pattern or practice" of excessive force.
