COLUMBUS – As Ohio’s capital city searches for a replacement for its retiring police chief, a deputy chief will fill the role on an interim basis.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther says the interim leader will be Deputy Chief Tom Quinlan (above left), who joined the division in 1989.
Today we announced that @DCTQuinlan will be serving as interim Chief of Police after Chief Jacobs retirement. My Deputy Chief of Staff Dawn Tyler Lee will be heading up the national search for a permanent chief. My thanks to both for their commitment to #Columbus. pic.twitter.com/fbcjiMt1pu
— Mayor Andrew Ginther (@MayorGinther) January 22, 2019
Retiring Chief Kim Jacobs was the division’s first female chief. She is leaving in early February after nearly seven years in that role.
“I have complete faith in Deputy Chief Quinlan’s ability to lead the Division of Police into the future, smoothly picking up where I left off in our efforts to constantly improve our service to the people of Columbus,” Jacobs said. “Deputy Chief Quinlan has been a leader in our recruiting and community engagement efforts. He is decisive, always acts in good faith and in accordance with our values.”
The city is conducting a national search for her successor. That marks a departure from past practice, when new chiefs were chosen from the ranks of existing officers. However, internal candidates still could be in the mix for consideration.
Ginther‘s Deputy Chief of Staff, Dawn Tyler Lee (above right), will head up the search.
The mayor has said he wants someone committed to increasing diversity among department officers and aligning police practices with community expectations for police work.
Lee will establish an advisory committee to help guide the process and issue propose contracting with a national search firm, Ginther said.