Mayor Seren failed to mention that from the beginning of my tenure as Chief, I have been transparent with him in my decision-making. We have had many conversations about perscnnel matters, and he has always been involved in hiring and promotions. I have consistently supported his decisions and sought guidance from other city departments to help ensure that any personnel decision I made was ethical, legal, and just. To say that my senior officers or I make decisions based on ulterior motives is just not true and is highly offensive and slanderous. In the thre and a half years he has been in office the mayor has never mentioned any such concerns to me. Again, considering the history — his wife’s turbulent conduct at city hall and the laptop investigation against him — this is merely an attempt to distract and deflect. No member of the department did anything wrong during the recent investigation into the incident involving Natalie MeDaniel, and when all of the facts come to light at the appropriate time that will be plain to see. Live in Cleveland Heights. I have been a Cleveland Heights police officer for over three decades and have served in a leadership role for roughly a third of that time. Being the Chief of Police has been an honor and a privilege. I take pride in my job and in my ultimate duty to protect and to serve the community with integrity, and 1 have done so throughout this regrettable conduct that has been engaged in by the mayor and his wife. I do not relish being in this position where I have to make a public record of these matters, but the mayor has forced my hand, And I know that this statement involves a risk to my position, Retaliation is a very real threat in this, administration in Cleveland Heights City Hall. There is a long list of people who can attest to it, ‘The tension and fear are profound. The behaviors of the mayor and his wife have led td an atmosphere of dysfunction, chaos, and fear of reprisal. Nonetheless, someone needs to say something. According to our mission statement, “The Cleveland Heights Police Department, in partnership with the Community, is dedicated to protecting the lives, property, and rights of all persons wl ‘maintaining order, reducing fear, informing the public, and enforcing the laws fairly and impartially.” Each Cleveland Heights police officer works every day to fulfill this mission, and they deserve more than what Mayor Seren gave them at this recent press conference, and indeed at other times during his time in office. This is precisely why there is a recall vote coming up soon. 1am proud of cach and every member of this department who comes to work each and every day and provides an exceptional level of service. I wear my badge with pride and dignity. The ‘mayor's attempt to publicly denigrate CHPD officers—some by name- only reflects HIS true nature. It says nothing about the Cleveland Heights Police Department or any individual member. Oh brit. Christopher M. Britton, Chief of Police Page 4 of 4so would undermine the credibility of any determination that we would make about the case. The ‘mayor has regularly retained outside counsel for investigations into other matters at City Hall— including the behavior of his wife—to remove any suggestion of bias. In the same vein, I contacted the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office to ensure an objective review of the facts. That is basic law enforcement protocol. The investigation is now in their hands. However, history tells us that when the mayor and his wife are involved in a controversy, unfortunately, an objective review of the facts has been difficult to attain. For example, on December 6, 2024, in an incident that has been highly publicized, Sergeant Jason Moze was filling in as security at City Hall’s front desk when he experienced Ms. McDaniel’s erratic and explosive behavior firsthand. When Sgt. Moze was unable to answer Ms. McDaniel’s questions to her satisfaction, she proceeded to engage in turbulent and alarming and aggressive behavior in a public place. Instead of addressing his wife’s behavior or trying to mediate the situation, Mayor Seren responded by throwing Sgt. Moze under the bus, instructing the law department to pursue felony charges against him for “illegal wiretapping” because his body camera was activated during the incident. Let me be clear: Sgt. Moze’s use of his body camera at the time and place in question was consistent with relevant police policy and procedure. In the same situation, I would have done the same thing. He followed procedure and did nothing wrong. But in return for doing his job, he had his name publicly dragged through the mud, most notably by the mayor. Fast forward to April of this year, when we received a report from law department staff, after discovering that Mayor Seren’s laptop was left in the law department's conference room, during a time when an interview was scheduled, of an employee who had filed a human resources complaint about the mayor’s wife’s presence and her behavior at City Hall. It appeared that the laptop was surreptitiously placed and intended to record the private investigative activity in the room. Having CHPD investigate this allegation would have been a very obvious conflict of interest, so I contacted other outside law enforcement agencies and the matter was ultimately referred the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, where it is now being reviewed. ‘The mayor's response to the investigation into his wife’s recent behavior reveals his true colors. Instead of treating Cleveland Heights’ police officers like the dedicated public servants they are, Mayor Seren implied that I—and CHPD as a whole—are racially biased and that this bias has pervaded the department's personnel decisions. There is absolutely no factual basis for any such claim. Again, it is merely an attempt to distract and deflect. No one in the CHPD is perfect, but I can tell you that we strive to be. I played an active role on the previous Racial Justice Task Force. We have proactively included department training about bias-based policing and de-escalation techniques. And most of our officers have completed the 40-hour crisis intervention training provided through the Cuyahoga County. To insinuate that I or any member of the police department would deliberately treat anyone unfairly or deny them opportunities, based upon race or any other impermissible considerations for advancement is without merit and I make it my job to keep it that way. Page 3 of 4and deflect from the conduct that both he and his spouse have engaged in — incidents that are presently under review by outside agencies During the press conference Mayor Seren told the press that he was concerned about a “troubling pattern” of behavior within the police department and he indicates that “there is something deeply wrong with this community,” and a “cultural problem within the division of police.” strongly disagree. The only troubling pattern of behavior I see is the behavior of Mayor Seren and his wife, which has unfortunately plagued our city with controversy for months. This latest incident with his wife is just another one to add to the list. In connection with the most recent incident, on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, the police department received a report from the owner of a home on Coventry Road of an unauthorized entry into their home. The suspect was identified as Mayor Seren’s wife. The most relevant aspects of the incident were captured on video. Any time a resident calls the police to report a crime or concerning behavior, it is our duty and obligation to investigate the complaint, regardless of who may be involved. Residents have a right to feel safe and secure in their homes and places of work and CHPD is dedicated to providing that service and to treating all involved with dignity and respect as we do so, and that is exactly what was done in connection with this most recent complaint involving Natalie McDaniel. ‘As Mayor Seren knows, I cannot speak publicly about any ongoing criminal investigation, including this one. As a result, neither I nor any member of our department will publicly comment on the case, nor will we respond in any manner to his characterization of the facts. I can only confirm that a resident called the CHPD with a complaint of potential criminal activity, that Natalie McDaniel was identified/detained as a suspect/subject, that an initial investigation was conducted, that evidence was gathered, and that the investigation is ongoing and has been taken over by an outside agency. I will also note that neither Mayor Seren nor I was present when this incident occurred. Normally, this type of incident would not warrant the presence of the chief of police, but when I Jeamed the mayor had arrived on scene, I responded to check on the investigation and to ensure officers were not subject to any interference or obstruction. After the initial investigation was concluded, | informed the mayor that it would be inappropriate for CHPD to conduct any further investigation into the matter and that the matter would be turned over to an outside agency. This decision was made by the city’s law department, in order to avoid any potential bias, conflicts of interest, or even the appearance of any impropriety. Despite all of this, and despite that fact that he admits that he has not read the police reports and has not seen the video, he still chooses to publicly characterize the police response and investigation as “ridiculous.” Itis clear that he is biased in favor of any story that his wife might tell him. This temptation of human nature precisely illustrates the wisdom of turning the reigns of the investigation over to an outside agency. The mayor’s claims that he could not understand why I believed there is a conflict of interest and why it was necessary for me to contact the law department to confirm this belief are inexplicable. Any person involved in law enforcement knows that police should not conduct a criminal investigation into the conduct of the spouse of the person to whom they ultimately report. Doing Page 2 of 4CITY OF CLEVELAND HEIGHIS DEPARTMENT OF POLICE Christopher M. Britton, Chief of Police 40 SEVERANCE CIRCLE, CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, DHIO 44118 ~ Telephone 216-291-4974 Emallcbritton@[Link] August 5", 2025 Statement from Chief C. Britton in response to Mayor Seren’s July 31st Press Conference: On Thursday, July 31, Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren held a press conference in the council chamber at city hall, where he spoke for more than an hour, addressing an incident involving his wife, Natalie McDaniel, and which Cleveland Heights police officers responded to. L tried to attend this press conference, but the mayor barred me from the room, keeping me from directly hearing and responding to what he had to say. With me out of the room, he proceeded to disparage me, the Cleveland Heights police force, and our entire community. I was able to see/hear the press conference by watching a video that was posted on YouTube. After doing so, I feel that it is necessary to address his false accusations, claims and characterizations. Based upon the number of events that have transpired over the last several months, involving Mayor Seren and/or his wife Natalie and which unfortunately shed a negative light upon our city, I feel that the residents deserve to hear an accurate depiction of this situation, and others that were touched upon during the press conference. There are so many things wrong with what Mayor Seren had to say, that it is hard to know where to begin, But let me start by saying that I can understand ~- and even respect ~- the mayor for standing up for his wife. In similar situations, most people want to defend their family members, regardless of what they may or may not have done. All police officers understand this. But the mayor of a city is not most people -- he is a public servant and is supposed to lead a city in the best interests of the city and in spite of his own interests — yet many of the public statements that he made in this press conference are flat out false and self-serving and not in the best interests of the city and they need to be called out as such. It should also be noted that Mayor Seren also serves as the safety director for the city. This position effectively places him in a leadership role in connection with the police department. For him to say that he has “lost confidence” in the police administration is astonishing, because for more than three years he has overseen the police department, along with myself. During that time, he has never revealed any of these claimed concems to me or to any other ranking member of the department. It is clear to me that he has created these false claims as an attempt to distract. Page 1 of 4