Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski has resigned. His resignation takes effect October 6.
Mayor Jared Kraham announced the resignation of the chief on Tuesday afternoon.
Zikuski steps down in the midst of an outside investigation into an incident involving his girlfriend in July. The results of that investigation have not been made public yet. In a statement, Kraham said the written report “will be released shortly, once finalized.”
Acting Police Chief John C. Ryan will continue to lead the Binghamton police department in an interim role until the city appoints a new chief.
“The City will adhere to New York State Civil Service Law on the appointment of a new permanent chief of police, which is a tested civil service position,” Kraham said.
The incident which led to Zikuski’s resignation took place in Johnson City on July 18. A video posted on Facebook at the time showed his girlfriend Susan Rice arguing with a group of people including two teenagers, sitting on the porch. Zikuski was present at the incident but off-duty at the time.
At one point Rice asks the family, “What do you do, Section 8?”
A few moments later she tells them, “We are the police.” Rice then rushes onto the porch of the house and hits two people, identified by Johnson City police as a 16-year-old resident of the house and an 18-year-old friend.
After the incident, the mayor released a statement that he was “troubled by her language” and that Rice was a “private citizen — not employed by…nor affiliated with the City in any official capacity.”
Rice was arrested a few days later and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, harassment, and trespass in the second degree. She was released with an appearance ticket. The date of her hearing was not released to the public.
Zikuski has been chief of the Binghamton Police Department since 2008. He was previously placed on paid administrative leave for over 3 months following allegation of sexual harassment in 2015. The complaint was later dropped.
From 2010 to 2014, Zikuski was joint police chief, with three others, of the Johnson City and Binghamton police departments.
Under Zikuski’s leadership, the Binghamton Police Department has been accused by residents and criminal justice advocacy organizations of racially-biased policing and in some instances, using excessive force.