police chief calls me a liar.

[4jchildren]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Ohio

In a letter to an editor the local police chief calls me a liar. I used to work for the PP Division and left on some not so great terms. It was a three year struggle over teaching safety programs to kids in our school system. They have tried to ruin my reputation over the years by accusing me of things. The latest was a letter to the editor after a nice article was written about me and the non-profit I teach through. The report misspoke in the article and the chief accused me of lying. This is the letter to the editor:

"On Saturday, I read an article in the xxx regarding programs being presented to P S District students by an ex-P police officer. The article attributes a statement to that ex-officer that the PPD eliminated education programs such as D.A.R.E. and Safety Town in 2005.
I wish to inform you that the PPD did not eliminate those programs. They are still active today.
The P Board of Education allows D.A.R.E. to be included in class schedules and the Police Division is the recipient of yearly grants from the D.A.R.E. foundation from which an officer is paid to teach. Safety Town still operates for two weeks in the summer, just as it always has since 1971.
The statement made by the ex-officer is not factual. The PPD asks that the XXX inform its readers of the facts regarding those city-sponsored programs. "

Chief of Police


He stated "The statements made by the ex-officer is not factual". I did not make the statement, it was the reporters mistake. I can prove this and she stated it was her fault. Is this libel or can they just call me a liar whenever they want too.

[quincy]

The Police Chief did not defame you. He based his letter to the editor on a quote that was attributed to you in the article that appeared in the paper. Because the quote was attributed to you, he had every reason to believe it was what you said. The information you were said to have provided to the reporter was false.

Your complaint should be with the newspaper reporter and the newspaper, and not the Police Chief. If you did not, in fact, say that the DARE and Safety Town programs were eliminated, then you were misquoted.

You can show the original article that appeared in the newspaper, and you can show the letter to the editor written by the Police Chief, to an attorney for a comparison and a review. You can also contact the editor of the newspaper directly about the misquote. If the reporter has notes or recorded any interview with you, the error will be apparent and a retraction may be made. You also have the option of writing your own letter to the editor in response to the Police Chief's letter, to get the facts straight.

But, again, your beef is not with the Police Chief (regardless of your past history with him), but is with the reporter who misquoted you.