COLUMBUS, Ohio — The U.S. Department of Justice finished its second review of the Columbus Division of Police, more than a year after Mayor Andrew Ginther asked for a deeper search of the department's use of force.
In April 2021, Ginther asked the DOJ to identify possible racial biases within Columbus policing efforts and solutions for reform. The DOJ released that report in February 2023, but it didn't address the department's use of force policies and Ginther requested the agency to take another look.
According to the second DOJ report released on Aug. 9, most of the police department's policies, protocols and operational procedures related to use of force are consistent with industry standards.
However, the report says the Columbus police department has a significant problem with use of force reporting and transparency because of its inability to collect and analyze data in a way that would determine if there are any issues.
Based on what the DOJ was able to review, there's no "glaring evidence" of excessive use of force happening at an unusually high rate. However, there needs to be a better way to track the use of force incidents.
"In the absence of adequate reporting to track and monitor UOF, it is difficult if not impossible for the division to identify patterns and trends in its UOF practices," the report says.
According to the report, lower-level use of force incidents "are not tracked or analyzed in a way that would enable the CDP or the community to understand if or why a disparity exists."
The DOJ says this needs to be fixed as soon as possible.
"The CDP’s transparent reporting of UOF data can help Columbus community members develop a greater sense of trust and confidence in their police department. It will also enable CDP leadership to feel confident that CDP personnel are living up to performance standards and policy expectations," the report says.
Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said it benefits both the department and the community it serves when best practices in policing are in place.
“Ultimately, the goal of these types of reviews is twofold: to improve the delivery of policing services to the community, and, by doing so, to increase public trust and enhance community-police relationships," Mizer said.
To read the DOJ's full report, click here.