April 14, 2024
Cleveland Assistant Safety Director Fired For Misleading Officials About Car Crash And Transporting Minors In City Vehicle
Dye faced criticism after her city vehicle crashed with four children in it.
Jakimah Dye, the former assistant director of Safety for the City of Cleveland, was relieved of her duties on April 12 after an investigation revealed that she misled officials investigating a February car crash.
As WKYC reports, the crash involved Dye’s city vehicle and minors. According to a letter from Interim Safety Director Wayne Drummond, those factors were considered when Dye was fired following a pre-disciplinary hearing in March.
“During the course of the investigation, you admitted you were utilizing the City vehicle for non-work-related purposes,” Drummond wrote in the letter. “It was also discovered that you were transporting several minors and did not possess valid motor vehicle insurance to cover the damages incurred in the accident. Additionally, it is alleged that you made untruthful, misleading, and/or deceptive statements during the investigation of this matter.”
Drummond continued, “As Assistant Director of Budget and Operations in the Department of Public Safety, the expectation of professionalism and honesty is uncompromising. We serve the public, therefore we must be good stewards of community trust.”
In addition to the violations enumerated by Drummond in the letter, Dye violated several City of Cleveland workplace policies and civil service commission rules.
As Cleveland.com reports, Dye faced criticism after her city vehicle crashed with four children in it after she left a basketball game. A few days before, a similar occurrence forced now-former Safety Director Karrie Howard to resign from his position.
Dye did not disclose that there were children in the car when she made her original report but later communicated via an email to officials that she did not know that having children in the car was a violation of city policy. “I was not aware of the policy regarding children in the car, but the fact remains, there were children in the car,” Dye wrote. “The policy is clear. No children or non-city workers are allowed in the vehicles, I now know this to be true and am disappointed in myself for not being familiar with policy(ies) as a whole.”
In the termination letter, Drummond determined that Dye’s actions could reasonably be assumed to have a negative reflection on the Cleveland Department of Public Safety.
“A thorough review was conducted by the Department of Human Resources. I have carefully reviewed the evidence incorporated into the record by reference, statements made at the hearing, and pertinent rules, policies, and procedures. I adopt the findings and recommendations of the hearing officer.” Drummond concluded. “I have determined that you, Assistant Director Jakimah Dye violated numerous CoC Human Resources Policies and Procedures, and Civil Service Commission Rules.”
Drummond concluded, “As such, policy is in place to ensure honesty and accountability of members charged with a duty to be present in the community. The Department of Public Safety cannot operate and professionally meet its objectives while tolerating a failure to comply with professional expectations or being subject to utter disregard for policy. Not only does the aforementioned conduct reasonably tend to diminish the esteem of the Department of Public Safety in the eyes of the public, it violates public trust in the Department and has no place in any Department or Division within the City of Cleveland.”