In a surprise move and with no explanation, Lincoln Police Chief Teresa Ewins resigned Friday, effective immediately.
"I will be stepping down as chief of this department and moving on," Ewins said in a news release from the mayor's office. "This was not an easy decision, but I have determined it is the best one."
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said she accepted Ewins' notice of resignation and has appointed Assistant Chief Michon Morrow to serve as acting chief of police.
Ewins had been Gaylor Baird's pick to lead the Lincoln Police Department in 2021 at the conclusion of a national search following the retirement of Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister in 2020.
It was unclear if Ewins was asked to resign and the mayor's office declined comment beyond the statement in the news release.
She had been under fire recently for reducing access to the press and had been accused by former police officers of driving them out after they had come forward with allegations of sexual harassment within the department.
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In the news release, Gaylor Baird thanked Ewins for her service.
"During her tenure, Chief Ewins and I worked to deliver the high level of public safety that we have here in Lincoln,†the mayor said. "Together we added officers, dispatchers and support personnel positions to LPD’s staff and negotiated a labor contract that made LPD officers the highest-paid law enforcement in the state. We also opened a new Northeast Team Station, secured additional equipment and increased training for officers responding to mental health-related calls for service."
Ewins pointed to accomplishments, too, saying it had been a great honor to serve as Lincoln's police chief.
"Over the past two years, we have made great strides, even amid challenging times for our nation and our community. And it is you — my colleagues, my officers … my friends — who have done the heavy lifting," she said.
Ewins said, as an organization, the Lincoln Police Department is one of the best.
"Your hard work and dedication to this community is evident, and felt, every day. I will always value each and every one of you. And I know that you determine the course of this department. Do your best and do what is right — no matter what you confront. I believe in you," she said.
Asked if the city would do another national search, the mayor's office said they haven't decided how to move forward but there were no such plans in the works now.
Lincoln Police Union President Jeff Sorensen said in an email the union appreciated Ewins' service.
"We know these decisions are not made lightly and appreciate Chief Ewins' service over the past couple of years. Our union operates in service of the men and women of the Lincoln Police Department and will continue to support the needs of our police force and the community. We look forward to working with Acting Chief Morrow.â€
Lincoln City Council Chairman Tom Beckius said he was thankful of Ewins’ service and wished her well.
“The department remains strong and is in good hands with acting chief Morrow in command,†he said. “Chief Ewins demonstrated a commitment to making our community safer and making our city stronger, even though police departments are facing a lot of different challenges every day.â€
During her tenure, LPD — like departments across the nation — struggled to recruit and retain officers following nationwide Black Lives Matter protests after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
She made a number of changes to the application process and worked to recruit new officers.
Internally, two former police officers had filed lawsuits alleging discrimination and harassment before she was hired and after she became chief, five more officers came forward with similar allegations and two more filed lawsuits.
Just one of those officers is still employed by LPD and Ewins fired four of them following internal affairs investigations that occurred after they’d come forward.
The city hired an outside firm to do an assessment of the department, which made recommendations on handling discrimination allegations as well as a host of other issues including hiring, recruitment and retention and training.
"As is outlined in our clients’ lawsuits, Chief Ewins and the City of Lincoln failed LPD employees by ignoring numerous complaints of sexual misconduct and retaliating against those who raised awareness about this issue," said Kelly Brandon, the attorney who had represented the LPD officers who had sued the city. "Because of their failure to acknowledge and remedy this ongoing toxic culture, Chief Ewins and the City of Lincoln made LPD a more dangerous place for employees. We hope LPD's new leadership is willing to acknowledge the problem of sexual misconduct at LPD, take its 30x30 pledge seriously, and work to improve the safety and well-being of all employees."
Ewins' commitment to transparency — which was one of the reasons Gaylor Baird said she hired her — has continued to be a central issue, most recently when she announced she would end daily press briefings that have been a staple of the department for a century, reducing them to three times a week. She also recently declined to release bodycam footage from a crash involving a sheriff's deputy in May.
LPD — and public safety in general — was a flashpoint in the mayoral race this spring. Gaylor Baird’s challenger Suzanne Geist — and the PAC supporting her — blanketed the city with ads that included cherry-picked statistics saying Lincoln’s crime had skyrocketed under Gaylor Baird’s administration, and that her administration had silenced whistleblowers.
The union, which had endorsed hiring Ewins, also endorsed Geist.
Tom Duden, a former police officer elected to the City Council in May, was critical of Ewins and city administration during his campaign. He said he’d heard comments from staff concerned that she wasn’t making herself accessible to officers.
“She’s been creating so much resistance with media and attorneys and staff, so I think it’s all a good move,†he said of her departure.
Ewins, a former San Francisco Police Department commander, was not only the first woman to head LPD, but the first LBGTQ person — and the only outsider to be named chief since at least 1975. Three of the last five officers were appointed from within LPD, and two others came from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
Morrow, the acting chief of police, has been a member of LPD since 1995, most recently serving as the assistant chief of the management division.
"Chief Morrow is an experienced and trusted leader within the Lincoln Police Department and our community," Gaylor Baird said. "She is devoted to delivering LPD’s mission and keeping our community safe. Her capability, commitment and deep care for the people of Lincoln and the members of the department are inspiring, as is the way she upholds the community policing model that has served our city so well."