Columbus Police Chief James G. Jackson and five other officers have been reassigned amidst a broad-ranging probe into prostitution, gambling and police misconduct, Columbus Mayor Greg Lashutka said Thursday.’These are serious allegations of police misconduct surfacing, which will to continue to undermine the integrity of the division,’ Lashutka said. ‘I think there were acts and activities in part that took away from (Jackson’s) objectivity.’Citing his authority as mayor, Lashutka ordered Jackson and Vice Cmdr. Walter J. Burns to remain home, reassigned four Internal Affairs officers to patrol, and reassigned Burns’ wife, Kathleen, who was Jackson’s secretary, to another position.The mayor appointed Deputy Chief Robert Kern to serve as acting chief. Safety Director Thomas W. Rice and Assistant Safety Director David Sturtz are heading the investigation.Kern said the reassignments were made after authorities uncovered additional information in an internal probe of Burns, who was accused of mishandling a prostitution investigation in 1992 and 1993. Kern said he recommended that Burns be charged with 13 counts of misconduct in that case.Instead, Jackson cleared Burns of all but one count and gave him a written reprimand for withholding information from a supervisor, Kern said. Jackson felt Burns was innocent, Kern said.City officials said the probe has included ‘an examination of the gambling operations of retired Sgt. Mount Vernon Johnson, the prostitution enterprises involving Anthony D. Menucci or others, and other acts of police misconduct.’ Kern described Menucci as an associate of Burns.Jackson said he has no intentions of resigning.’In 39 years as a police officer in the city of Columbus, my record is impeccable,’ Jackson told WCMH-TV. ‘I have not been accused of doing anything wrong in the past. I felt I had a reputation of being honest, of making good judgments, but there are times when those judgments are called into question.’In hindsight, Jackson said he would not do anything differently in the Burns probe. ‘Walter Burns and I … do not do the things close friends would do, and even if he were a close friend I would treat him no differently than anyone else,’ Jackson said.On Thursday, Lashutka issued an order to announce he was exercising his power as mayor to authorize a probe into the Columbus Police Division. ‘The citizens of Columbus trust us to do what is right,’ he said. ‘It is my duty to ascertain the strength of these allegations by taking the investigation to the next level.’The mayor’s order means investigators can subpoena witnesses and compel them to testify or face possible contempt charges.At a press conference, Lashutka said if the ongoing investigation clears Jackson, he will be able to return to work. The probe will move quickly, but will last and unknown amount of time, Lashutka said.Lashutka aide Gary Parks said Jackson, who draws a $100,838 annual salary, will continue to be paid, along with Internal Affairs officers Jeff Blackwell, Tony Mason, Tom Glover and Randy Moore.’A suspension is a disciplinary action,’ Parks said. ‘Chief Jackson is not being disciplined. No fingers are being pointed. His duties are being changed by the mayor for now.’The Associated Press contributed to this report.