Geneva’s police chief remains on paid administrative leave.
That statement came from City Manager Amie Hendrix on Monday after FingerLakes1.com received documents from a Freedom of Information Law request filed on January 10, 2024.
Matthew Colton, who was appointed chief of police in July 2023, was placed on paid administrative leave in early-January because of an ‘oral personnel complaint’ against him. The FOIL response noted that no disciplinary charges had been brought against the Chief as of February 12.
In its response to our FOIL request the city released a limited set of documents — covering communications between City Council, City Staff, and legal representatives between December 1, 2023 and January 10, 2024. Some redactions were made to the documents before their release.
Altogether, six documents were released as part of the FOIL request.
The first page is a ‘Report of Personnel Change’. The only comments related to the chief’s leave is under a section titled ‘comments’ which reads: “Paid administrative leave effective 1/5/2024; Extend probationary period since time spent on paid administrative leave does not count towards probationary period.”
The second page is a letter from Hendrix to Colton. It reads, “You are hereby placed on administrative leave immediately, pending an investigation into a personnel complaint against you.” It notes that he must turn in his firearm, keys, and related City of Geneva equipment as of the notification, which is dated January 5. He’s instructed to not come to the workplace, complete any work, or access work email and/or GPD systems while on paid leave. It notes that Colton should be available ‘on short notice’ to attend meetings related to the investigation and that failure to meet any of the requirements or refusal to comply could result in disciplinary action — up to and including termination.
The third page is an email dated January 29, which advised Colton he was to appear for an…
Read the full article here
