COLUMBUS – Columbus city council is expected to approve police reform legislation stemming from 2020 protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
The ordinances sponsored by president pro tempore Elizabeth Brown and council member Rob Dorans will require officers to display their names and badge numbers on alternative uniforms and riot gear and restricts the use of military-style equipment and tactics during public demonstrations.
The ordinance governing name and badge number displays also reaffirms existing policy governing plainclothes officers aimed at ensuring officers are clearly identifiable while on duty, Dorans said.
It comes in response to difficulties encountered by investigators following up on complaints regarding police misconduct during protest events where some incidents proved difficult to investigate due to an inability to identify who was involved, Dorans said.
“Requiring officers to display their name and badge number will help ensure the public knows who they are engaging with when the police are called. We know that past investigations of alleged misconduct have been hampered by the lack of identification on officers’ uniforms. This legislation is a practical fix to this serious issue,” Dorans said.
The legislation sponsored by Brown restricts the use of chemical agents, such as Mace; helicopters, and explosives and pyrotechnics, building on an existing ordinance which banned the use of certain military-style equipment such as riot batons and camouflage uniforms.
“This legislation helps our police division better embody the peacekeeping at the heart of every officer’s role and at the heart of why, I believe, most officers sign up for serving in the first place,” Brown said.
The ordinance follows a permanent injunction from U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley relating to the summer 2020 protests and continues efforts to revamp the police division’s approach to managing mass demonstrations.
Both measures will be voted on at the council’s meeting on Monday.