The Retaliator-in-Chief
AI Generated
“Retaliation Is the Policy: What Chief McCann Did to Me, He Did to Others”
Apr 30, 2025
By Aaron C. Knapp, LSW, CDCA – Investigative Journalist and Publisher of Lorain Politics Unplugged and Victim of Retaliation
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Introduction: The Blueprint of Retaliation
Retaliation is not just a tactic in Lorain—it is a governing principle. And if you’re looking for its chief architect, you need only look to Chief of Police James McCann. For years, McCann has cultivated a culture of fear and retribution, targeting critics with chilling precision. I know, because I was one of them.
What happened to Lieutenant Corey Middlebrooks, what happened to Officer Miguel Baez, and what happened to me all share a common throughline: speak out, and prepare to be dismantled—personally, professionally, and institutionally.
This is not theory. This is documented fact. And today, I’m laying it all bare: the records, the lies, the denials, and the policies McCann violated to keep a grip on power. His retaliation campaign against me wasn’t unique. It was a continuation.
“The unlawful intent inherent in such a retaliatory action places it beyond the scope of qualified immunity.” — DeLoach v. Bevers, 922 F.2d 618 (10th Cir. 1990)
1. McCann’s Retaliation Playbook
When I raised concerns over the Lorain Police Department’s illegal release of protected juvenile court records, I expected a response grounded in policy. Instead, I got silence followed by sabotage.
Chief McCann emailed the Social Work Board. He claimed I misrepresented myself as an “officer of the court” and suggested I had a pattern of disruptive behavior, including alleged trespasses in other states—none of which were substantiated. These messages were sent to my employer, to government investigators, and eventually contributed to an unpaid protective suspension.
(Email from Chief McCann):
“It seems Mr. Knapp is becoming unhinged… I have learned that he has been trespassed in other government buildings… I anticipate we will wrap up our investigation next week.”
(Email to Tim Weitzel, June 2023)
This wasn’t about fact-finding. It was about weaponizing insinuation and narrative. Internal records now confirm McCann’s actions extended beyond local circles, involving state-level pressure, email campaigns, and confidential whispers disguised as “investigative cooperation.”
“When government uses position to suppress dissent, it’s not public service—it’s abuse of power.”
2. The Trigger: A City Hall Encounter and the Fallout
On June 1, 2023, I visited Lorain City Hall to request public documents. What followed was a carefully exaggerated incident in which I was accused of being disruptive, argumentative, and nearly arrest-worthy—none of which matches the facts or the footage.
I was told to leave after refusing to remove my wallet at a security checkpoint—a policy that had never been enforced this way before. I later learned that officers filed statements describing me as “freaked out,” “agitated,” and even suggested mental health instability.
One witness stated I “raised [my] voice and got closer” while an officer simply “showed [me] a credit card knife”
(Witness Statement):
“Mr. Knapp became defensive and argumentative… Mr. Knapp was upset over the security procedures… I had to raise my voice to give instructions.”
(Internal City Hall report, June 1, 2023)
This encounter became the pretext for McCann to launch a backchannel assault on my credibility. Emails between McCann and court administrator Tim Weitzel repeatedly used this event as ammunition, calling me “aggressive and unpredictable,” and falsely stating that I had been “trespassed” elsewhere. These statements were demonstrably false.
“When the facts don’t support discipline, Lorain leadership manufactures it.”
3. False Claims, Secret Emails, and a License on the Line
It didn’t stop at public smearing. McCann sent emails to my employer, Applewood Centers, and to the Ohio Social Work Board, triggering an investigation into my licensure. He also suggested—again, falsely—that I was misusing credentials.
In May and June 2023, I was placed on unpaid protective suspension, had my ID revoked, and was barred from my workplace pending investigation. Yet McCann never once filed a formal charge. He let whispers and veiled legal threats do the work.
(July 14, 2023):
“This letter confirms that you are on an unpaid protective suspension… You may not have contact with any Applewood clients or staff during the course of the investigation…”
(HR letter from Applewood Centers)
The most disturbing part? McCann and the city now deny the very existence of these emails. But I have them. I printed them. I preserved the chain. And one of the final dismissals of my formal complaint came from none other than former Judge James Burge—then acting as Chief of Staff for Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson.
“McCann denied he sent the emails… while I was holding them in my hand.”
4. Echoes of Middlebrooks: The Pattern Is Clear
What McCann did to me mirrors what he did to Lt. Corey Middlebrooks. The OPS investigative report into Middlebrooks’ firing contains identical language: vague allegations of emotional instability, efforts to circumvent proper procedures, and suppression of dissent through internal targeting.
In both our cases, McCann responded to lawful criticism with unlawful intimidation. He used city resources to misrepresent our behavior. He coordinated with court officials to isolate and discredit us. And he did it all while violating department policies.
(OPS Report, Middlebrooks):
“Chief McCann told me: ‘I need a dirty cop. Someone I can use.’”
— Officer Craig Paine testimony
LPD Policy Violations by McCann:
- 102.3.4 — Misuse of Authority
- 103.6 — Retaliation and Discrimination Prohibited
- 104.7 — Confidentiality of Personnel and Legal Records
- 201.2 — Equal Employment Opportunity
- 500.1.1 — Social Media Conduct
- 603.4 — Discipline and Due Process
- 900.9 — External Investigations and Public Relations
The only difference? Middlebrooks was a Black officer within the department. I was a white social worker outside it. But we were both threats—to McCann’s image.
“The only qualification you need to become McCann’s next target is to speak truth.”
5. Final Thought: Denial, Gaslighting, and the Systemic Targeting of a Citizen
Chief Jim McCann didn’t stop at weaponizing my license. He didn’t stop at sabotaging my job. And he didn’t stop at quietly emailing prosecutors and court officials with defamatory statements. What makes this retaliation campaign so chilling—and so revealing—is that it never stopped.
Even after I withdrew my initial complaints and made clear I no longer wanted direct contact, McCann continued emailing me. His tone shifted from condescension to something more manipulative—gaslighting, deflecting, rewriting history, and trying to frame me as unstable, unpredictable, or mentally unwell. It became psychological warfare cloaked in professionalism.
(Internal email from McCann):
“It looks to me that Mr. Knapp is becoming more aggressive and unpredictable.”
(Sent to court administrator Tim Weitzel while I was still on suspension)
And it didn’t end with email. McCann sent me a Facebook friend request. He followed both my pages—a citizen reporting page and a personal advocacy platform. When I blocked him, his son, his sister, and at least one relative I don’t even know began making contact, sometimes through veiled threats, other times through hostile commentary. This was not coincidence. This was surveillance. It was targeted online engagement from the family of the police chief against a private citizen exercising protected speech and advocacy.
“He [McCann] followed me. Messaged me. Emailed me. Gaslit me. When I blocked him, his family picked up where he left off.” Aaron Knapp
Even when I requested in writing for McCann to stop contacting me—citing not just professional boundaries but safety concerns—he refused. No cease. No pause. The emails and pressure continued until I forced the block and turned to public exposure as my last line of protection.
The irony? McCann denies any of this happened. He claims he doesn’t know how his emails got into the public record. He told city leadership that I’m unstable, that I caused disturbances, that none of what I said could be trusted. This is textbook gaslighting: commit the abuse, deny the abuse, and then attack the credibility of the victim.
(OPS interview excerpt, Middlebrooks case):
“The chief has a way of discrediting people while acting like he’s helping them. It’s how he protects himself.”
— Anonymous Lorain officer, OPS Report
And perhaps most damning of all: The City of Lorain went along with it. Rey Carrion used a year-old letter from ex-Judge James Burge—who was then serving as Chief of Staff to the County Prosecutor—as his justification to ignore my formal complaint. The OPS never launched an investigation into McCann’s conduct toward me, despite clear policy violations including misuse of internal communications, dissemination of sealed records, and attempts to chill First Amendment activity. The report they cite doesn’t exist, yet I have the email chains, the timestamped communications, the suspension letters, and the Board complaints.
This is how the machine works. It protects itself. It punishes the whistleblower. It forces you into silence, then calls you “unstable” when you speak again.
“If McCann can email your boss, your licensing board, and your enemies—and then say those emails don’t exist—how safe is anyone who dares speak up?”
There is nothing “unhinged” about demanding accountability. There is nothing “unstable” about documenting retaliation. There is nothing “mentally unwell” about recognizing a pattern and saying: this ends now.
I was retaliated against. I was gaslit. I was watched. And when I spoke out again, they came harder. That’s how you know the truth threatens power.
I’m not afraid. I kept the receipts. And I’m not going away.
“I blocked McCann online. Now I’m blocking his legacy with the truth.”
About the Author
Aaron C. Knapp is a licensed social worker (LSW), certified chemical dependency counselor assistant (CDCA), and investigative journalist based in Lorain, Ohio. He is a U.S. Army veteran and former guardian ad litem who has worked extensively in juvenile justice, community mental health, and social advocacy. Knapp is the founder of “Lorain Politics Unplugged,” where he documents systemic abuse, political retaliation, and public corruption. His work draws from firsthand evidence, public records, and sworn documentation to expose the truth, demand accountability, and uphold the public interest.
Legal Disclaimer
This article is based on verified records, sworn statements, public documents, email transcriptions, and first-person evidence provided by the author. All allegations are supported by documented communications, court filings, and investigative materials lawfully obtained through public record requests or legal discovery. Any individual referenced is presumed innocent until proven otherwise under the law. The author asserts his right to publish under the First Amendment and under protections afforded to licensed professionals engaging in social and political advocacy.
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