COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The city of Columbus Civilian Police Review Board held a town hall meeting Wednesday night, allowing community members to voice their concerns surrounding police oversight in the city.
According to leaders, it’s all in an effort to maintain transparency and accountability within the Columbus Division of Police.
“We want the community to know that we exist and that this is an avenue that they can use if they feel as though an interaction that they’ve had with law enforcement hasn’t gone the way that they would’ve wanted,” Brooke Burns, chair of the Civilian Police Review Board, said.
Wednesday’s forum featured members of the Civilian Police Review Board and representatives from the Department of the Inspector General and the city attorney’s office. Leaders said it’s important to restore trust between the community and police.
“We have to move away from the police are the enemy as a baseline and I think that’s where we are now,” resident Chris Cozad said.
The city of Columbus established the Civilian Police Review Board and Inspector General position in 2021 to review complaints related to law enforcement activity. At the end of the investigation process, the group can make a recommendation either about a specific officer’s actions or about policy and practice.
The positions were created in response to community demands for greater police accountability following the protests related to George Floyd’s death.
“It’s going to take time,” Cozad said. “We’re not going to create this kind of change overnight and we have to lay the groundwork, and so having these kinds of conversations and listening to what each other has to say on both sides of the conversation is the first step.”
A number of topics and concerns were brought up at Wednesday’s town hall. Many surrounded the need to educate officers on how to interact with those with disabilities and within the LGBTQ+ community. The board recognized a lot of training needs are not fully being met, especially when it comes to mental health and crisis intervention training due to the stress officers experience on the job.
“Training works,” Cozad said. “It makes a difference and I understand that they only have so much time, and, you know, there’s all these other topics that are mandated, but to me that says we need more time. If we can’t do it in the allotted amount of time, we need to lengthen the length of the academy or think outside the box.”
Greg Rush served as a Columbus police officer for 35 years. He voiced concerns surrounding what he’s calling a lack of diversity on the police force.
“If we have people like us that represent police departments and fire departments and public service jobs, they’ll be more approachable, they’re more friendly as far as trying to understand what’s going on and why they did what they did,” Rush said. “And they’re not necessarily intimidated by the color of their skin because we all stereotype people.”
The forum also served as a time for Rush to reflect on what is working, like police-worn body cameras.
“There’s always three sides of story,” Rush said. “Your side, my side and the truth. And I think the body camera helps eliminate some of that.”
The Civilian Police Review Board is looking for three more members. To be eligible, you must reside or work in Columbus. To apply, click here.
