In re Civil Service Charges & Specifications Against Piper

Francis E. Sweeney, Sr., J.

We are asked to decide whether a police officer who is the subject of an internal affairs investigation and is compelled to appear before a superior officer for the purpose of answering questions during the course of the investigation is entitled to legal representation pursuant to R.C. 9.84.2 For the following reasons, we find that R.C. 9.84 provides for legal representation in this instance. We reverse the judgment of the court of appeals.

R.C. 9.84 states:

“Any person appearing as a witness before any public official, department, board, bureau, commission, agency,…