Two other officers were discharged for alleged misconduct, and multiple members of the force remain under state investigation for potential criminal actions.
An officer hailed as a hero for helping take down the gunman in the 2019 mass shooting in the Oregon District is fighting to get his job back after the city says he committed multiple policy violations, including allegedly harassing a co-worker through unwanted messages or texts. Another cop was fired after allegedly going to a concert while on sick leave.
A separate state investigation into multiple members of the Dayton Police Department is active and ongoing, says a spokesman for Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
In a statement, the Dayton Police Department said it takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and evaluates each situation individually based on the facts, circumstances and overall impact on the department and community.
“While termination is a rare outcome, it remains one of the options available when conduct significantly compromises public trust or the standards expected of our personnel,” the statement said.
The Dayton Police Department had about 339 sworn officers in early November, and a class of 17 recruits graduated from the academy earlier this month.
Dayton police Sgt. Kyle Thomas, the president of the Dayton Fraternal Order of Police, said city and police leadership too often get so caught up in the accusations leveled against officers that they seek or impose discipline that ignores the facts and findings of thorough administrative investigations. He said the findings often do not match the allegations.
“Management instead of having a clear vision and pursuit of the findings associated with any allegation or case, get attached to the initial allegations and how they think that impacts their image,” Thomas said.
Lt. Jeffrey Thomas
Dayton police Lt. Jeffrey Thomas resigned in mid-October after working for the police department for 23 years. Thomas is now employed by the New Lebanon Police Department.
The former lieutenant was accused of stealing three wood signs from a vacant restaurant space downtown during the 2025 NATO Parliamentary Assembly session held in Dayton over Memorial Day weekend, according to an investigatory summary report from the Professional Standards Bureau (formerly called internal affairs).
Thomas allegedly used a screwdriver to remove small signs in the former Uno Chicago Bar & Grill space that said “The Police Chief’s Booth,” “Reserved for Couples” and “The Commissioner’s Booth.”
Thomas told investigators he was just borrowing the signs so that he could replicate their style to create memorabilia and souvenirs from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. He said he planned to return the signs later that day.
Joshua Engel, his attorney, said the prosecutor’s office did not seek criminal charges against his client because he did not commit a crime and never intended to deprive anyone of their property.
Officer Jeremy Campbell
Dayton police officer Jeremy Campbell was one of the six officers who ran toward gunfire and stopped the gunman in the mass shooting that occurred in the Oregon District on Aug. 4, 2019. Nine people were killed, but Campbell helped end the gunman’s rampage within about 32 seconds.
Campbell, who joined the police department in 2016, was awarded the Medal of Valor by President Donald Trump a month after the mass shooting.
But the city fired Campbell earlier this year after an internal investigation concluded that he committed multiple violations of department policy.
Campbell allegedly sent unwanted or unsolicited text messages last year to a female police officer after she repeatedly told him to stop contacting and messaging her, says civil service documents in Campbell’s personnel file.
Civil service records say an investigation earlier this year found that Campbell allegedly also tried to kiss a woman without her permission in late 2017 and during that encounter he restrained her against her will and injured her ear. The documents say he was not truthful during an administrative interview in the fall of 2024 about texting the woman about trying to kiss her.
Campbell also was accused of failing to notify dispatch of a home visit or provide reason for contact at an address in southeast Dayton, and he allegedly did not activate his body-worn camera while at the residence. He also allegedly did not notify dispatch of his location or provide a reason for responding to a call from a juvenile in Kettering.
Civil service charging documents say Campbell displayed poor judgment because he made regular, undocumented or unrecorded contacts with a juvenile girl and he did not refer a family to agencies that could have assisted with their issues.
In 2023, Campbell was reprimanded and suspended for allegedly running a license plate for personal reasons; retrieving personal information from the dispatch center to contact a witness for an “inappropriate” purpose; failing to follow appropriate police protocols; and failing to activate his body-worn camera on a couple of occasions, according to documents in his personnel file.
Officer Jonah Hall
Dayton police officer Jonah Hall was fired earlier this year after he allegedly attended a concert in Columbus in August 2024 even though he had called off on sick leave, personnel records state. Hall, who joined the department in 2021, was supposed to attend multiple days of mandatory training.
Civil service charging documents in his personnel file say he was absent without leave from Aug. 14 to Aug. 27, 2024. Hall was accused of being untruthful when he claimed in a special report that he had an appointment at a medical clinic.
The Dayton Police Department’s rules of conduct say that officers who knowingly make a false statement or who falsify any report, document or record will be terminated. Department policy also says sick leave is not supposed to be for vacation purposes.
Hall now works for the New Richmond Police Department, according to Ohio Attorney General records.
BCI criminal investigation
In August 2024, the Dayton Police Department announced that multiple unnamed officers were under investigation for potential criminal conduct. The officers were transferred to non-enforcement duties until an investigation is completed.
Dayton police Chief Kamran Afzal asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to investigate the allegations. Steve Irwin, the press secretary for the Ohio Attorney General, recently told the Dayton Daily News that BCI’s investigation remains active and ongoing.
“Once BCI’s investigation is completed, it will be referred to the county prosecutor’s office,” Irwin said.
The Dayton Daily News requested records from the Attorney General’s Office about the case but was denied on the grounds that the documents are confidential law enforcement investigatory records. The Dayton Police Department did not answer questions seeking information about the probe.
FOP response
In a statement, the Dayton Police Department said every case is different and disciplinary decisions are made based on investigative findings, context and department policy.
“Our focus is always on handling these matters thoroughly and responsibly, in a way that reflects the seriousness of the situation and the expectations placed on those who serve,” the statement says.
FOP President Sgt. Kyle Thomas said city and police managers often have a highly emotional reaction to allegations of wrongdoing against police officers and they continue to have strong feelings even after an investigation produces facts and findings inconsistent with the accusations.
City and police administration were not happy that Lt. Jeffrey Thomas’ actions — even if they were well-intentioned — created an administrative incident that led to an internal investigation during a high-profile international assembly, the FOP president said.
The union president said Lt. Jeffrey Thomas resigned before the administrative investigation reached the point where all the facts and findings were determined.
Sgt. Kyle Thomas said officer Hall’s discharge came after he was forced to serve in a position he did not want. Records in Hall’s personnel file say he was involuntarily transferred to the forensic services unit on Aug. 12.
Sgt. Kyle Thomas said Hall’s new position caused issues in his personal life, like with child care. He said anyone with a family can sympathize with the challenges of trying to juggle work and home life responsibilities.
“The union did not feel that this a career-ending case,” Sgt. Thomas said. “He was a good employee.”
In officer Campbell’s case, the union president said his termination is going through the grievance and arbitration process and the union is seeking his reinstatement. Sgt. Thomas said city and police administration continue to focus on the allegations against Campbell even though they do not line up with the findings from the administrative investigation.
“His termination, from the union’s perspective and from 40 years of like and similar contract language and handling of disciplinary cases, violated our collective bargaining agreement,” Sgt. Thomas said.
Sgt. Thomas said city and police administrators also did not meet a contractual deadline to initiate or impose discipline against officer Campbell. The union president said he expects the arbitrator to issue a decision in early 2026.
“The city was grossly negligent in ensuring that they issued their findings and discipline in a timely manner,” he said. “I’m not talking a couple of days — I’m talking being months and months late."
Sgt. Thomas also said the city and police department will not be able to administratively discipline the officers who are under BCI investigation because they failed to meet disciplinary deadlines spelled out in the union contract. He said administrative discipline is now out of the question, regardless of what the state probe determines.
‘We don’t want bad people’
Earlier this year, the Dayton police union helped reinstate police Sgt. Joseph Setty, who was convicted of misdemeanor criminal charges after being accused by multiple women of engaging in non-consensual sexual acts. The FOP said the disciplinary actions the city took against Setty were not consistent with the police union’s contract and case law.
The city has appealed the arbitrator’s decision to reinstate Setty.
Sgt. Thomas said the police union ensures its members receive fair treatment when they the subject of an investigation. He said the goal is not to protect officers who do wrong, but to ensure they get due process and the discipline they face is consistent with the police union’s collective bargaining agreement.
“We don’t want bad people here, and we don’t want to represent bad people, so when serious allegations come in we want them thoroughly investigated,” Sgt. Thomas said. “We want to ensure that it is done fairly and equitably and we want to see what the actual truths and findings are.”
Staff writer Aimee Hancock contributed to this story.
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