COLUMBUS – A panel has recommended a Civilian Review Board approved by voters in November to oversee Columbus police operations should consist of nine members and should have “broad, independent investigative powers, including the authority to issue subpoenas.
The Civilian Review Working Group also recommended that the Division of Police should have an inspector-general who serves a five-year term with one five-year renewal.
Mayor Andrew Ginther and City Council President Shannon Hardin accepted the recommendations from the Civilian Review Board Work Group on Wednesday. The group has been meeting since August, developing the framework for a civilian police review board, even though the board was not authorized by voters until the Nov. 3 election, and approved its recommendations on Dec. 3.
“Rebuilding trust and improving accountability in the Division of Police is a critical component to reimagining safety in Columbus. Council will engage in a deliberative process to review these recommendations and work with Mayor Ginther to stand up the Civilian Review Board in 2021,” Hardin said.
Hardin and Ginther both endorsed the idea of a review board following protests over the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, as well as the controversial
fatal shooting of Henry Green by Columbus officers in 2016.
Among the recommendations:
-The board should have nine voting volunteer members serving staggered terms of a maximum of three years, with a limit of two consecutive terms.
-The mayor should recommend the board members for appointment with City Council’s approval.
-The Inspector General should serve a five-year term that is renewable for an additional five years.
-The board should be given broad investigative powers, including subpoena powers, and should recommend discipline while the Chief of Police and Safety Director retain ultimate authority.
-Among other things, the board will review complaints of excessive use of force and allegations of misconduct that is discriminatory in nature, “review the fairness of Internal Affairs Bureau investigations and recommend changes to policies and procedures related to those investigations.”
-Appointments should be made on the basis of diversity in race, age, ethnicity and socioeconomic status and a majority of its members must live in the city of Columbus.
-Board members will receive ongoing training in police tactics, constitutional law, de-escalation, implicit bias, and other important subject matters and will “oversee implementation of the police division’s policies and procedures, recommending overall policy changes while the Safety Director and Chief manage daily operations.”
Applications for membership will be accepted on the city’s website until Jan. 15.