Union withdraws grievance over raw sewage smell in police station

A health and safety grievance, filed by the Lorain Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3, against the city of Lorain has been withdrawn.

The grievance was filed Aug. 9 after a smell of raw sewage caused police officers to become nauseous.

According to Lorain FOP President Kyle Gelenius, the grievance has been “temporarily” withdrawn.

“We are currently working with the Police Department and administration about this issue,” Gelenius said. “We still have five working days from the violation to file it again, if needed.”

There is no longer a raw sewage stench in the police station, he said.

The smell was caused by problems with the traps in the pipes, Gelenius said.

“This is not the first time this has happened and there are problems in the clerk’s office and prosecutor’s office,” he said.

On Aug. 9, Mayor Chase Ritenauer said things like this will happen because the building is old.

Ritenauer also said he wished the police union would have brought it to his attention first.

Gelenius said the Lorain FOP followed protocol in handling the situation.

“In the health and safety contract, it says things of this nature need to be reported to the next higher authority,” he said. “We did that by contacting the Patrol Operations Commander.

“It is not the FOP’s job to reach out to the mayor. We have a chain of command to follow and the FOP was merely following that.”

Gelenius encouraged Ritenauer to take a tour of the police station.

“I am more than happy to show him the department’s bathrooms and leaking walls,” he said.