Why did Columbus leaders invite the Justice Department to Columbus? Read the invitation
Federal officials agreed in September to review Columbus police operations, at the request of Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and City Attorney Zach Klein.
Their request, which the two leaders detailed in a formal letter on April 27, invited federal officials to "engage in a review of Columbus police operations, identifying any and all racial biases in policing efforts, and offering findings and coordinated solutions for reforms."
Police reform: Years after civil rights probe, can DOJ's work with Columbus police bring change?
Columbus police and the Justice Department review: 4 things to know
The letter followed the fatal police shootings of Ma’Khia Bryant and Andre Hill, as well as community unrest, protests against police and record-high homicide rates. In the months leading up to the request, Ginther had publicly called out “a culture of racism and discrimination” within the city’s police division.
Ginther and Klein pointed to progress in police reform, citing both an external audit of the police division and a community-driven review of police practices. But they said despite those efforts, "the city has been met with fierce opposition from leadership within the Columbus Division of Police."
The Justice Department has agreed to work with Columbus police through its Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, division, but Ginther and Klein said that should a collaborative partnership fail and litigation becomes necessary, "we will fully support these efforts because we share the ultimate goal of reforming policing practices in the City of Columbus."
Read the full letter from Columbus officials to the Justice Department here:
Columbus' 2021 letter to the DOJ by The Columbus Dispatch on Scribd
jsmola@dispatch.com
@jennsmola
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Read the letter inviting the Justice Department to Columbus
