Columbus (Ohio) Division of Police: Independent Review of Use of Force Policies, Procedures, and Protocols

By Jensen Hughes

 At the request of the Columbus (Ohio) Division of Police (CDP), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) conducted an independent review of the CDP via the COPS Office Collaborative Reform Initiative – Critical Response Program. This review was focused on the CDP’s use of force (UOF) policies, procedures, operational protocols, training, data collection and reporting processes, and community engagement related to UOF oversight and investigations. The CDP has experienced major changes in senior leadership, with the hiring of an external chief in June 2021 followed by a significant turnover in senior command staff. This influx of new leadership created an opportunity to undertake a critical analysis of the division’s operations with an eye toward improving transparency and improving relationships between the CDP and the community. In addition to the CDP’s leadership change, the division experienced a significant operational change in February 2022 when the Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) voted—and the mayor confirmed—the appointment of an inspector general to investigate allegations of police misconduct and excessive UOF by members of the CDP. During the Critical Response review process, CDP leadership demonstrated a genuine interest in engaging in this collaborative effort as a means not only to gauge the organization's UOF practices but also to capitalize on this opportunity as a catalyst for cultural change in the organization. The COPS Office tasked Jensen Hughes with assisting the CDP through this review process. The intent of the review is to assist the CDP in determining the extent to which its current use of force policies, procedures, practices, and associated training align with what is considered best or emerging practices in policing consistent with modern policing principles and standards. It should be noted that the scope of this review did not include an in-depth review of officer-involved shootings. This category of UOF was excluded since all officer-involved shootings in the city of Columbus are investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations and not handled internally and this inquiry is focused on internal CDP UOF processes. The ultimate goals of this Critical Response assistance the COPS Office and Jensen Hughes are providing to the CDP are to (1) increase public trust and community and officer safety and (2) support effective, contemporary, and innovative policing practices through improvements in training, policy, transparency, professionalism, and accountability related to CDP officers’ UOF. To assist the CDP in realizing these goals, the Jensen Hughes team focused on two objectives: 1. Identifying operational practices the CDP currently employs that ensure any UOF by the agency’s personnel is – – compliant with local, state, and federal law and constitutional protections; appropriately documented; – – – – 2. subject to thorough supervisory review; compliant with current policies and standard operating procedures; consistent with current agency training; as transparent as possible, both internally and externally, to community and agency stakeholders; Identifying areas in which the CDP’s policies, procedures, protocols, and data collection and reporting processes could benefit from potential changes or updates that align with – – – – national standards; best practices; current and emerging research; community expectations.   

Collaborative Reform Initiative Critical Response. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.  2024. 58p.