john joly

Last week, acting Police Chief John Joly told the Ithaca Voice he was taking an indefinite leave of absence and planned to sue the city of Ithaca and Mayor Laura Lewis for a "hostile work environment".

“Having an acting chief at the helm of the department right now is not causing any problems."

He said Barksdale asked for help to complete investigations of cases she was assigned but the City and police department didn’t provide the support she needed. Barksdale is accused by the City of mishandling dozens of cases, including sex offenses.