March 19, 2008

"As a result of two felony criminal charges that the Dayton Police Department has filed against Mr. Larry Miller, a Legislative Aide in the City Commission Office, Mr. Miller has been placed on Administrative Leave Without Pay, effective Monday, March 17th.

"Mr. Miller has worked for the City of Dayton since September of 2004 when he was hired as a Legislative Aide. His duties have included coordinating schedules, preparing miscellaneous correspondence, and conducting research on issues under consideration by the City Commission.

"The Clerk of the Dayton City Commission was responsible for and conducted the hiring process for Mr. Miller. As a result of his arrest, other details have now come to light about Mr. Miller's criminal history that were not fully revealed at the time of his hiring. Based upon this knowledge, an administrative review of the hiring process for Mr. Miller is underway. However, it should be made clear that City of Dayton policy regarding background checks only requires a background investigation for employees seeking positions in the safety forces, working with young people, in certain financial areas, and other similar classifications. Therefore, since none of these conditions apply to Mr. Miller's particular job functions, no background check was required of Mr. Miller when he was hired. Also, a further review of all hiring processes is underway.

"The felony charges brought against Mr. Miller are very serious, and the Police Department and Prosecutor's Office are currently engaged in a thorough investigation. Mr. Miller will remain on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal investigation and the administrative review.

"City of Dayton policy prohibits public comment on personnel matters or on-going investigations involving employees. Consequently, beyond the statement we have provided here, we will not make any further comments on the matter at this time."