COLUMBUS – A review of the Columbus Division of Police praised the force for policies and training but also found areas for improvement.
The operational review, conducted by Matrix Consulting and released Wednesday by Mayor Andrew Ginther, found that while positive perceptions of police are very high among the city’s overall population, those perceptions drop significantly among black residents.
According to the review, 74 percent of the city’s residents view its police officers positively, but that is shared by only 61 percent of its black residents.
The report will be used by the Columbus Community Safety Advisory Commission as it prepares to make recommendations for improving Columbus police operations and its relationship with citizens. Ginther said he will also form an implementation committee to carrying out the commission’s recommendations.
“This is a step in the right direction towards taking responsibility and taking action to build a police operation that protects and respects all residents,” said Columbus City Council president Shannon G. Hardin.
Opinions on how police officers treat members of the public varied by race and ethnicity, the review found, with 84 percent of white residents saying they were treated with respect by officers but only 63 percent of non-white citizens. Eighty percent of white residents described their community’s experience with the police as “somewhat positive” or “very positive,” compared with 59 percent of blacks.
Perceptions of bias and discrimination extend to division employees, according to the report, which found that 51 percent of black employees experienced discrimination and that other employees reported biases against gender and sexual orientation.
“We hired an independent third-party consulting firm to conduct an operational review of the Columbus Division of Police through the lens of 21st century policing…I look forward to digesting the report more fully and implementing strategies for a stronger Columbus,” Ginther said.
While the report found that the division’s policies and training “excellent,” implementation of these policies and procedures is inconsistent. The report also pointed out that the division bases special assignments and promotions too heavily on seniority, rather than merit.
The report included some suggestions for shoring up some of the weaknesses Matrix says its study exposed, such as assuring that the appropriate number of officers are on duty at the right time; focusing more attention on officers’ well-being, including expanding the definition of trauma and continuing to promote greater understanding within the division’s culture of the need for psychological care.