WEATHER ALERT
Justice Department to review police force in Columbus, Ohio
Read full article: Justice Department to review police force in Columbus, OhioThe mayor of Columbus, Ohio, says the U.S. Justice Department will review some practices of the city's police department following years of negative publicity that included a series of recent police killings of Black people.
Columbus reaches $10M settlement for family of Andre Hill
Read full article: Columbus reaches $10M settlement for family of Andre HillOhio’s capital city has reached a $10 million settlement for the family of Andre Hill, a Black man who was fatally shot by a white Columbus police officer in December as he emerged from a garage holding a cellphone.
Uphill battle to convict cop who shot Andre Hill, data shows
Read full article: Uphill battle to convict cop who shot Andre Hill, data showsCoy was indicted Wednesday on a murder charge by a Franklin County grand jury following an investigation by the Ohio Attorney General's office. Former Columbus Police Officer Adam Coy was indicted Wednesday on a murder charge by a grand jury following an Ohio Attorney General's Office investigation. Only seven officers were convicted of murder, with others convicted of lesser charges such as involuntary manslaughter or reckless homicide, Stinson's data shows. Hill’s family welcomed Coy's indictment while acknowledging that a conviction on all four charges — murder, felonious assault and two counts of dereliction of duty — is what really matters. Additional bodycam footage showed two other Columbus officers roll Hill over, handcuff him, before leaving him alone again.
Activists: Next Columbus police chief must be an outsider
Read full article: Activists: Next Columbus police chief must be an outsiderFILE - In this Jan. 30, 2020, file photo, Thomas Quinlan, chief of the Columbus Division of Police, speaks with the media at the Columbus Community Safety Advisory Commission in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Andrew Welsh-Huggins, File)COLUMBUS, Ohio – The next police chief of Columbus must come from outside the agency and through a national search, community activists critical of policing in Ohio's largest city insisted Friday. Former Chief Thomas Quinlan, demoted Thursday by Mayor Andrew Ginther, was a 30-year member of the agency and was unlikely to make the big changes needed because of his career there, the activists said. The next chief should be Black and preferably a woman, Jones said, saying she believes Black women can be transformative leaders by communicating effectively. Ginther, a Democrat, said a new national search will be conducted for the next chief, though activists note the last national search ended in an internal hire.
Ohio police chief forced out in wake of Andre Hill killing
Read full article: Ohio police chief forced out in wake of Andre Hill killingFILE - In this Jan. 30, 2020, file photo, Thomas Quinlan, chief of the Columbus Division of Police, speaks with the media at the Columbus Community Safety Advisory Commission in Columbus, Ohio. Quinlan was forced out Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, after the mayor who hired him said he'd lost confidence in Quinlan's ability to make needed changes to the department, weeks after the police killing of Andre Hill. “It became clear to me that Chief Quinlan could not successfully implement the reform and change I expect and that the community demands," Ginther said in a statement. At the time, Ginther said Quinlan must address racism within the department’s ranks, including further diversifying the department. The Columbus Division of Police — like many big-city agencies — is juggling calls for internal change even as it battles unprecedented street violence.
U.S. marshal calls his post-shooting remarks 'premature'
Read full article: U.S. marshal calls his post-shooting remarks 'premature'Protesters hold signs spelling the name of Casey Goodson Jr., a Black man fatally shot Dec. 4 by a white Ohio sheriff's deputy, on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. Marshal Peter Tobin said he made statements based on “insufficient information” he received before the beginning of an official investigation into the Dec. 4 killing of Casey Goodson J r. by a Franklin County Sheriff's deputy. Messages were left for Meade's attorney and for the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. Hundreds walked from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office south of downtown to the Statehouse and a few blocks north Friday night. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office does not provide officers with body cameras, and the deputy’s SWAT vehicle did not have a dash-mounted camera.