COLUMBUS, Ohio — Officer Cody Jones was one of 39 officers to be sworn in with the City of Columbus Division of Police on Friday.
Officer Shawn Smith-Davis is another. He grew up on the east side of town in what he calls not the best of areas. Those troubles and those struggles are why he’s here.
“I wanted to be a change and a beacon of hope,” he said.
A beacon of hope. It’s a deposit he wants to make in his community. Jones grew up on the west side of town and says he always knew public service was his calling.
“This is very exciting,” Jones said. “I was so excited to get in here. I just wanted to work in any kind of way to serve people.”
This graduating class could be the last for a while.
Thursday, Columbus City Council proposed to postpone future graduations until the city’s audit on police recruitment and hiring practices comes back, which might not be finished until later this year.
Right now, class 135 started in December and is scheduled to graduate in June. Any potential delay would come to the class that would be seated in June 2021.
“If we don’t set that class we take three steps back,” Deputy Chief Jennifer Knight said.
Knight says the classes in 2020 and the ones right now being vetted for 2021 represent some of the highest numbers of diversity the department has ever seen. It’s also dealing with approximately 30 holes in its roster due to resignations and retirements from 2020.
Knight says by postponing future graduations it will put a strain on the department.
“It’s going to impact us for the next couple years,” she said.
And while the audit looks specifically at training and hiring practices Jones and Smith-Davis say the training they received at the academy was inclusive, eye-opening and everything they need to help make a difference.
“I just hope whenever the next academy class can start it will because I think this academy has a lot to offer people,” Jones said.
“I stand behind the training that we receive here at the academy,” Smith-Davis said.