DAMNING QUOTE: Columbus City Council member and former Safety Director Mitchell Brown proclaimed at a candidate’s night that Columbus doesn’t need a civilian review board to monitor the police since the grand jury is a civilian review board. The Franklin County Prosecutor’s office admitted that they can’t remember any Columbus police officer ever being indicted by the grand jury. The grand jury is overwhelmingly white and under control of the Prosecutor’s office – not the citizens of Columbus – whose proceedings are secret, not transparent.

LAWSUIT #1: The Estate of Jaron Thomas filed a wrongful death lawsuit on October 12 against the Columbus Division of Police. In response to Thomas’ call for help on January 14, 2017, Officers Darren Stephens, Chase Pinkerman and Michael Alexander decided to handcuff him and punch, body slam, knee, choke-hold and hobble strap him into submission which caused him to lose consciousness and cause his death. The Columbus Division of Police authorized the use of excessive force and his death was deemed an accident.

LAWSUIT #2: A federal lawsuit was filed for the wrongful death of Deaunte Bell-McGrew at the hands of Columbus Officers Matthew Baase and John Narewski. Baase had already been the subject of 14, and Narewski 28, Internal Affairs investigations. The suit accuses police of excessive use of force. Sgt. Eric Pilya is also named in the suit for inadequately investigating the shooting.

RETURNED TO DUTY: Columbus Police Officer Joseph Bogard has received a written reprimand and is back on the street. Bogard was initially relieved from duty after his bodycam recorded these statements following the severe beating of Timothy Davis on September 1 he participated in with fellow officers, plainclothes and uniformed: “…I'm going to choke the life out of you. While you're drooling on yourself, I'll handcuff you.” He choked Davis “’cause it was better than shooting him and going to fucking jail.”  

STILL WAITING: The Columbus community is still awaiting the results of the investigation into the Columbus Police’s beating of Timothy Davis.

STILL WAITING OVER A YEAR: The Columbus community has been waiting over a year to hear what, if any, are the repercussions for Columbus Police Officer Bryan Mason’s reckless fatal shooting of 13-year-old Tyre King on September 14, 2016. Mason had already shot and killed another man in 2012 and has had 50 civilian complaints against him for excessive force and using “inappropriate” language.