Law firm will review complaints within North Ridgeville Police Dept. (UPDATE)

This story has been updated to correct an error. North Ridgeville is hiring an outside law firm to conduct a third-party review of its Police Department. An email sent May 12 to every member of the North Ridgeville Police Department announcing the review was shared with The Chronicle-Telegram, and it was later confirmed by Mayor Kevin Corcoran. "Look, we have one of the best police departments in the area, we've been one of the safest cities in Ohio, but there are some issues that have been brought to my attention," Corcoran said. "Some of them go back a little while, before I was in office, and then some are more recent." Corcoran said that for several years the department has lost an "unusually high" number of officers and that there have been complaints from officers about the morale, communication and enforcement of rules within the department. Corcoran did not share further details about the specific complaints, saying they were private employee matters, but he said that recent developments prompted the review. "These concerns are serious and while I initiated some review of these issues late last year and had discussions with the chief, some additional information has recently come to light," Corcoran said in the email shared with The Chronicle. One well-publicized incident occurred Nov. 23 and saw North Ridgeville officers twice called to the residence of Chief Mike Freeman's daughter Hannah Freeman for noise complaints. According to a police report, Hannah Freeman has told neighbors she would "not get in trouble" because her father was the police chief and refused to come to the door the second time officers were called. Hannah Freeman pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct on Nov. 30. The process could begin as soon as this week and will be led by Jeremy Iosue of the law firm Stefanik Iosue and Associates and Stella Skaljac of ImagineHR Consulting. Corcoran said the amount the city will pay the firm will be dependent on how long the review takes. A request seeking comment was left with Iosue and Skaljac. Chief Freeman declined to comment on the review, directing a Chronicle reporter to speak with the administration. "We're bringing an outside firm in and we'll try to get to the bottom of any of these complaints that exist and then try to get things figured out," Corcoran said. "(We want) to make sure we are continuing to provide the best services for the residents." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.