10/13/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2026
SHARONVILLE POLICE STATEMENT ON FELONY CHARGE AGAINST LIEUTENANT
SHARONVILLE, OH – The Hamilton County Prosecutor today charged Sharonville Police Lieutenant Walter Cordes with one felony count of unauthorized use of property. Sharonville Police Chief Jim Nesbit said stronger audit protections the department put in place led Lieutenant Cordes to come forward and disclose the alleged misuse.
Early in 2026, the department strengthened its policies and began auditing how officers use sensitive law enforcement databases, including Flock cameras. In early June, Lieutenant Cordes learned that those audits had flagged multiple searches he allegedly ran on someone he knew for reasons that had nothing to do with police work. He then came forward on his own and disclosed the searches.
The department immediately placed Lieutenant Cordes on administrative leave, shut off his access to every department system, and referred the case to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office for an independent investigation. The department gave investigators full access to every relevant record and all system data. Today’s charge is the result of that investigation.
“We strengthened our protections to guard against any kind of misconduct, and they helped,” Chief Nesbit said. “Once we learned of the alleged misuse, we immediately referred the case to an outside agency for an independent investigation and gave them everything we had. Any officer who misuses law enforcement tools for personal reasons breaks this community’s trust and lets down every officer who does this job the right way.”
Lieutenant Cordes remains on administrative leave, and the department will complete its own investigation. The Sharonville Police Department is also already organizing additional required training for every officer on the proper use of law enforcement databases and technology.
“Flock cameras are a tremendous resource for law enforcement,” Chief Nesbit continued. “They can help solve violent crimes and find missing people. We’ll keep using them, and we’ll make sure our officers use them only for valid law enforcement reasons.”
