Pubdate: Fri, 20 Nov 2015 Source: Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH) Copyright: 2015 The Plain Dealer Contact: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/letter-to-editor/ Website: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/342 Note: priority given to local letter writers Author: Patrick Cooley VERMILION COP WHO WORE PRO-MARIJUANA PIN VOWS TO APPEAL HIS FIRING VERMILION, Ohio - A police officer fired after he wore a pro-marijuana pin on his police jacket during an auction said Wednesday that he plans to fight his dismissal. Vermilion Police Capt. Michael Reinheimer believes he was fired for wearing the pin. But Chris Hartung, the city's police chief, said Reinheimer already had disciplinary problems before the auction and the pin was the simply the last straw. Reinheimer said he plans to appeal his termination before Vermilion's Civil Service Commission. If they reject his appeal, he plans to sue the city. Reinheimer wore a pin that read "Legalize Ohio 2016" - the name of a group that aims to legalize marijuana in the Buckeye state - on a police jacket he wore over his civilian clothing to the Nov. 7 auction. Several people at the auction recognized the group's name and complained to the city, Hartung said. Reinheimer was placed on administrative leave Nov. 9 until he was fired Tuesday. In a document detailing a pre-disciplinary investigation, a fellow Vermilion officer wrote that Reinheimer didn't want to drive to the shooting range to certify a patrolman to use his service weapon on Oct. 6. He instead had the patrolman fire three shots at a tree and then told him he was certified Reinheimer also did not correctly fill out the forms to certify other patrolman after a Nov. 3 training session, another officer wrote. Reinheimer's termination letter mentioned a 10-day suspension he served after he was cited for driving with a suspended license in Erie County July 20. He said he crashed his car in Columbus earlier in the year while his insurance had lapsed and that had no idea his license was suspended until he was pulled over in July. Reinheimer said the problems with firearms training stemmed from an anti-depressant he started taking in August that made him act "goofy." Despite the issues raised by the police department, Reinheimer maintains that he was fired over the pin. Vermilion mayor Eileen Bulan received phone calls from people supporting him and took the issue personally, he said. "People were calling her names," he said. The mayor did not return a voicemail seeking comment on the issue. Reinheimer said that he supports marijuana legalization because his wife has epilepsy and that he's read that marijuana can help reduce epileptic seizures. He expected to take some flak for wearing the pin, but believes the city went too far when they fired him. Hartung said Wednesday that the police department doesn't have a problem with its officers advocating for political causes on their own time. But he said Reinheimer crossed the line when he wore the pin on his police jacket and then posted a picture of it on Facebook next to his badge. "That creates the impression that the police department is advocating" for legal marijuana, Hartung said. Vermilion police officers are prohibited from using their positions to support any political cause, he said. Reinheimer's personnel file doesn't contain any record of discipline other than what was mentioned in the pre-disciplinary investigation and his termination letter. His references told a Vermilion Police sergeant that they had no knowledge of him ever using illegal drugs before he was hired. He joined Vermilion's Police Department in 1999. Reinheimer said a member of Legalize Ohio 2016 gave him the pin the day of the auction. But he insisted that he wasn't trying to stir up any political passions by wearing it. "It was a spur of the moment thing, it wasn't planned," he said. But he added that he hopes that the incident will bring awareness to the issue of marijuana legalization in Ohio. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom