The Hiring of Elliot Palmer

Here at the Sheffield Lake Forum, we don’t typically dive into the negative. We prefer to focus on the positive aspects of our community, the things that bring us together, rather than those that tear us apart. However, the recent hiring of Elliot Palmer as a police officer has ignited such passionate outrage on the forum that I feel compelled to represent the concerns of those in the know. The purpose of this piece is to voice those concerns, gathered from conversations and public feedback, in the hope of shedding light on what many see as a troubling situation.

Full disclosure: I am a dog lover so it is hard for this to be impartial. I believe in forgiveness and second chances for those who show genuine contrition and remorse when they’ve made a mistake. But from what I’ve gathered and from what I can find, Elliot Palmer has never apologized or shown any remorse for what he did. This strikes a deep personal chord with me. According to the City of Lorain's Police Chief, my own dog would supposedly exhibit all the markers of an "aggressive" dog in a similar situation and, by their logic, might deserve to be shot. But let me be clear: if a strange man dressed in black, armed with a gun, approaches my property, I expect my dog to protect me. Unfortunately, dogs aren't that smart and have trouble discerning police officers from the UPS delivery man from a burglar. My dog may bark and rush towards that person, but let’s be real—that is no reason to shoot a dog. And let's be real again and realize that dogs can get loose and roam the neighborhood and just because a dog is loose is no reason to kill a dog. Police are supposed to have mace and tasers for just such an event and yes mistakes do happen - and forgiveness should be given for those that show remorse for their actions.

I’ve watched the unedited body cam footage of the incident involving Elliot Palmer, and I felt visceral rage—not just at the shooting of the dog, but at the officer’s complete lack of remorse in dealing with the public and the family whose dog he had just killed. I know my perspective is jaded, but that doesn’t make the outrage any less valid. With that said, let’s delve into the details of this hiring, which has left so many in our community questioning the integrity of the process and the people involved.

The Curious Case of Elliot Palmer’s Hiring in Sheffield Lake: A Dirty Job that Smells Bad

Folks, let’s talk about the recent hiring of Elliot Palmer as a police officer in Sheffield Lake. You might not have heard much about it because, well, it was done in a way that practically guaranteed you wouldn’t. And that’s exactly the problem that the people of the community are up in arms about. This whole process was so out of the norm that it wreaks to high heaven, and I’m here to tell you why.

A Special Meeting or a Special Circumvention?

Here’s the deal. The powers that be in Sheffield Lake decided to hold a special meeting to bring Elliot Palmer on board. Now, special meetings are typically supposed to be for emergencies—like when the town has a tornado blow through it. You know, stuff that can’t wait until the next regular meeting. But what was the big emergency here? Were we about to lose out on the chance to hire this guy if we didn’t do it right then and there? Nope. Not even close.

From what I’ve gathered, this wasn’t about urgency. This was about getting something done quickly and quietly, with as few people as legally possible paying attention. Why else would they withhold Palmer’s name from the council until the last possible moment? Why else would they push this through in a special meeting instead of handling it like they normally do? I’ll tell you why—it’s because they didn’t want you to know about it. They didn’t want you to have a chance to show up and ask questions. They didn’t want you to get in the way.

Mayor Radeff and Palmer: Too Close for Comfort

Now let’s talk about Mayor Rocky Radeff. This guy isn’t just some figurehead shaking hands and kissing babies. He’s an attorney, a prosecutor, and apparently, a big fan of Elliot Palmer. They’re not just acquaintances—they’re business associates. And in the world of law and ethics, that’s a big deal. In fact, Ohio law has something to say about this. It’s called a conflict of interest, and it’s a serious problem when a public official uses their position to help out a buddy.

But guess what? That’s exactly what seems to have happened here. Radeff was all in on getting Palmer hired, and he didn’t mind bending the rules to make it happen. According to Ohio Revised Code § 102.03(D) and (E), public officials aren’t supposed to use their influence to score something of value for themselves or their business associates. Yet here we are, with Radeff pulling strings in a special meeting to get his pal on the force. If that doesn’t smell fishy to you, then maybe you’ve been around rotten fish too long.

The Ethical and Legal Mess

Let’s cut to the chase—this isn’t just about a questionable decision. This is about breaking the rules. As an attorney, Mayor Radeff is supposed to follow the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct. That means avoiding conflicts of interest and steering clear of anything that even looks like misconduct. But what do we have here? A special meeting that didn’t need to happen, a hiring process that was anything but transparent, and a mayor who’s way too cozy with the guy he’s pushing for the job. This is the kind of thing that gets people fired—or at least, it should be.

And let’s not forget the bigger picture. When you pull stunts like this, you don’t just hurt your reputation—you destroy public trust. People expect their leaders to be honest, to play by the rules, and to do what’s right for the community. Instead, we’ve got a mayor and a council that seem more interested in sneaking things past you than in serving your interests.

Where Do We Go from Here?

So what’s the solution? It’s pretty simple, really. The City Council needs to grow a spine and do its job. First, they need to establish clear rules about when and why special meetings can be called. No more sneaky sessions to avoid the public eye. Next, they need to investigate this whole mess— sure the meeting was legal, but was it ethical and shouldn't we demand that the Council never do such a thing again? And finally, they (the city council) need to stop letting outside influences dictate what happens in executive sessions. If you’re not on the council, you don’t get to be in the room unless every single council member agrees it’s necessary.

For many in the city, this is just another reason for Sheffield Lake to clean up its act. The people deserve better than backroom deals and shady tactics. They deserve a government that operates out in the open, where everyone can see what’s going on. So let’s shine a light on this mess and make sure it never happens again. After all, isn’t that what we’re supposed to be about—getting the job done, but making certain they are done right?

You can see here where the dog (Dixie) was shot twice while running away. What was the justification for these two additional fatal shots? Then after the dog lay on the street dying Officer Palmer would not let the owner go to comfort the dog in its last moments on earth.

Additionally, the body camera footage conveniently leaves the audio out at the most important moments. To me that says mountains - Palmer knew what he did was wrong and purposefully turned his audio off when he was talking to another officer on the scene and then turned it back on again once the conversation was over.

My personal opinion is that I am glad that we do not have Police Chief James McCann in Sheffield Lake, OH. He comes off as a jassack. Of course, people should keep control of their animals. But, officers should not be shooting dogs twice as they are running away. Life is not perfect and sometimes dogs escape. Here is an officer who has been bit before and who is obviously shooting out of fear. Call it PTSD or whatever there was no reason to unload 4 rounds into this dog. It seems akin to the property owner who wants to shoot anyone who knocks on their front door. This was a gross overreaction, and a professional reaction would be to do what Mail carriers and UPS drivers do and mace the dog. Seems like a cowboy move to immediately draw his weapon. Most police officers would have had their mace in hand as they exited the vehicle when they stopped to deal with loose dogs.

Here's the thing. Chief McCaan should have never been in charge of the investigation into one of his own people. Of course, Chief McCann was going to do anything he could to ensure one of the people he worked with did not lose their job. He is not a person that you could reasonably expect to be unbiased. The same can be said for Mayor Rocky Radeff who works as a prosecutor for the city of Lorain. McCann should have never been allowed to do the investigation and should have hired an outside firm or professional arbitrator to make the evaluation because he could not reasonably be expected to be objective.

It is important to note that Elliot Palmer was not cleared of all charges in a court of law. He was cleared by an investigation of his superior. When the city is able to hire professional lawyers and expert witnesses to defend their employees, there is little chance of regular persons having the wherewithal to pursue a criminal or civil case against an officer.

I don't see how anyone can watch the video of Officer Palmer shooting the Golden Retriever and have the same opinion as Sheffield Lake Mayor Rocky Radeff that the officer was even remotely professional in handling the situation. Palmer was obviously pumped up and very combative after this unfortunate incident and did not deal with the public professionally.