Officer John Tocher
Cincinnati Enquirer, Tuesday, 4 August 1908, page
7
NEWPORT OFFICER TOCHER SUSPENDED
Considerable of a sensation was created about police headquarters
yesterday when it became known that Officer John Tocher had been suspended,
pending the hearing by the Police and Fire Commissioners, on a charge of neglect
and duty, preferred by Day Sergeant Cottingham. Tocher has a good record
and his suspension caused a great surprise among his friends.
The suspension of Officer Tocher is another chapter in the License Inspector fight that has engendered hard feeling between Republican and Democratic officals for some time past. It started with charges by City Clerk Davis that the police force, at present Democratic, was discriminating against Republicans in the collection of licenses.
Tocher has been trying to enforce the collection of the licenses and here matters stood until yesterday when the charges were brought. Sergeant Cottingham claims that Tocher has not been patrolling his beat. On the other hand, Officer Tocher says that Cottingham has been putting all his time since Mayor Krieger attempted to name Tocher as License Inspector watching him around the corner. The says that the bringing the charges against him in spite work.
The charges will be heard by the Commissioners Friday night.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, Saturday, 8 August 1908, page 10
NEWPORT
The Board of Police and Fire Commissioners last night dropped
Officer John Tocher from the force after a short and very unceremonious hearing.
By a strictly political vote, the charge against Tocher of failing to properly
patrol his beat, was brought by Sergeant of Police Cottingham. The latter
acted under instructions from Chief of Police Lickert, the latter stating that
he had received reports that various men of the department were not patrolling
their beats according to the manual.
Tocher, it seem was the only man caught. The report handed to Chief Lickert showed that on July 13, 14, 18 and 30, Tocher had stayed too long at Roeser's junk shop and the street railway waiting office. Tocher pleaded not guilty to the charges and wanted to produce the tape of the police signal system to prove that he could not have been at the places claimed by Cottingham.
He also produced Roeser to prove that when he did stop in the shop it was in order to question persons who brought junk there. He also produced a letter from Inspector Lillard, of the street railway company, to disprove the statement that he had tarried at the waiting room. The Democratic Commissioners Shea, Pfingstag and Unigish refused to hear any more of Tocher's evidence, however, and Pfingstag's motion to drop Tocher carried. May Krieger and Commissioner Koustorner voting nay.
The Democratic Commissioners did not gain anything by dropping Tocher for he will go to work for the city under orders of Mayor Krieger this mornings, as a special to patrol the East End and see that the ordinance governing the public dump is complied with. He will receive the same compensation that he received as patrolman. It is said that all of the men who failed to support the Democratic ticket at the last election will be gradually let out.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, Sunday, 26 September 1909, page 14
NEWPORT
Ex-Patrolman John Tocher died yesterday at his home, 225 West Tenth street. He had been in perfect health up to last week, when he was stricken with an abscess of the brain that compelled him to stop his work as motorman. His illness speedily developed into paralysis and blood poisoning.
Tocher was 40 years of age and leaves a wife. He served as a member of the Police Department under Mayor Nelson and Mayor Helmbold and was let out several months ago as a result of political differences between himself and the present Board of Police and Fire Commissioners.