Columbus Public Safety Director Ned Pettus said Monday that he has instructed interim Police Chief Mike Woods to ensure that a police helicopter pilot who spelled out CPD in an early-morning Saturday flight over a residential area on the East Side is appropriately addressed. I will ensure that the results of his review are made available to both city council and the mayor s office, and will include an outline of any corrective actions undertaken, Pettus told Columbus City Council during a meeting Monday evening.
Commander Robert Sagle, who oversees the helicopter unit, apologized for the time and attention this has caused when the city has much more important things to focus on.
City of Columbus: Investigation into police protest response reaches $615,000 thus far
As of Friday, the cost of a law firm s investigation into police response to last summer s protests has reached $615,000.
Credit: Columbus Police
Screen grab of video provided by Columbus Police - On May 28, 2020, at approximately 9:45 p.m., a CPD Officer pushes protestor at the corner of Broad and High. Author: 10TV Web Staff Updated: 11:43 AM EDT April 9, 2021
COLUMBUS, Ohio The cost of a law firm s investigation into the police response to protests during the summer of 2020 has reached $615,000 as of April 9, the City of Columbus said Friday.
The law firm BakerHostetler was contracted by the city to review claims of misuse of force by police during protests in downtown Columbus.
Columbus police hiring freeze could impact other agencies
Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin has proposed the city should freeze the hiring of new police officers as they wait for the outcome of a hiring audit. Author: 10TV Web Staff Updated: 5:32 PM EST February 19, 2021
Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin has proposed the city should freeze the hiring of new police officers as they wait for the outcome of a hiring audit.
“It makes sense to take pause to make sure, to find out where our glaring holes are and what we can do better before we start adding more folks to the rank,” Hardin argued.
The Columbus City Council appeared poised to temporarily shut down the hiring of new city police officers until a new chief is hired and an audit of past hiring practices is completed. I believe we must take the time to get the next (police recruit) class right, Council President Shannon Hardin said Thursday during a virtual budget meeting. He introduced a budget amendment to divert $2.5 million slated to pay for the new 45-officer police class scheduled for this June into anti-violence programs, medical training for officers now required by city code to offer first aid to use-of-force victims, and youth workforce development.