COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Columbus Division of Police deputy chief who was put on leave after failing to show up for a mandatory drug test last month has been cleared to return to duty.
The city said Wednesday Deputy Chief Jennifer Knight "met the requirements to return to work" and an investigation is underway into her failure to show for a required drug test on Nov. 18.
Following Knight's suspension, her lawyer Zachary Gottesman said he and his client felt the decision to relieve her of duty was in retaliation to the deputy chief’s opinion on how the division handled the Lt. Melissa McFadden “situation.”
In September, an independent review found several top officers, including Knight, retaliated against McFadden after the release of her book titled “Walking the Thin Black Line: Confronting Racism in the Columbus Division of Police.”
The attorney told 10TV some higher-ranking members “seized on this moment to make a big deal out of it,” in regards to Knight’s missed drug test.
A spokesperson for the Columbus Department of Public Safety told 10TV the decision to relieve Knight of duty was made per city policy and the city was "not aware of any other officer not showing up for a drug test without explanation."
According to the city’s policy, "if an employee refuses a properly ordered test, then the test result will be considered to be positive" and a negative test result would be required to return to duty.