Columbus has 29 applicants for first Inspector General investigating police misconduct

Bethany Bruner, The Columbus Dispatch
·3 min read

The Columbus Police Civilian Review Board will have more than two dozen people to choose from in selecting the city's first inspector general — including one of its own former members.

The city received 29 applications for the position created to independently investigate allegations of police misconduct, according to a list provided to The Dispatch on Wednesday. The Dispatch received only a list of names from the city and had not as of Wednesday received resumes and application materials provided by those candidates.

From the Civilian Review Board: Janet E. Jackson: Board will 'hold officers who commit wrongdoing accountable and restore trust and confidence'

Melanie Crabill, a spokeswoman for Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, said Ralph Andersen and Associates, a national search firm that has previously assisted the city in searches that led to the hiring of police Chief Elaine Bryant and former Chief Thomas Quinlan, as well as fire Chief Jeffrey Happ, will help narrow the pool of candidates that will be provided to the 11-member civilian review board for consideration.

The final decision on who will be selected will be made by the review board, with Ginther confirming their selection for a five-year term and an option available for second five-year term. The inspector general will be able to hire their own staff to conduct investigations into allegations of police misconduct. The review board will then look at those investigations once complete.

Additional coverage: Columbus police Deputy Chief Jennifer Knight suspended for missing drug test

Among the candidates to apply for the position was only one current Columbus police employee: Lt. Melissa McFadden, who has an ongoing federal lawsuit against the city and has had complaints filed against her related to a book she published in 2020 about her experiences as a Black police officer.

DiMaris Medina-Cortes, an investigator for the Ohio Attorney General's office and auxiliary Whitehall police officer, is another one of the applicants. In September, Medina-Cortes was appointed to the review board to replace Randall Sistrunk, who resigned her position. But Medina-Cortes also resigned from the board shortly after being appointed.

Medina-Cortes, a resident of the Northeast Side, previously applied for assistant police chief with Columbus.

Other candidates for inspector general include James Ebersbach, former police chief in Brice, a village best known as a speed trap, and former Franklin County judicial candidate Rena Shak.

Prior coverage: Columbus council adopts news rules for Civilian Police Review Board

According to the job posting, candidates were asked to have a bachelor's degree and at least five years of experience in investigations or research related to police or government oversight, public safety or criminal justice policy.

"The IG oversight activities ensure the ongoing integrity of CPD processes and operations and confirm that CPD is meeting its mission to address crime and improve quality of life through the delivery of constitutional, professional and effective police services in a way that reflects the values of Columbus’ diverse communities," the job positing stated.

Full list of candidates:

  • Leigh Anderson

  • David Andrews

  • Diarra Cross-Davis

  • Larry Douglas

  • James Ebersbach

  • Misael Fierro

  • Travis Fisher

  • Margaret Green

  • David Harper

  • Jacqueline Hendricks-Moore

  • Justin Hopson

  • Kateres Lee

  • Melissa McFadden

  • Andrew McFarlane

  • DiMaris Medina-Cortes

  • Makiedah Messam

  • Erroll Porter

  • Russell Rappel Schmid

  • Rena Shak

  • Swaraj Sharma

  • Dean Shear

  • Almis Stempuzis

  • Sandra Trujillo

  • Robert Viduya

  • Jeffrey Walsh

  • Timothy Weir

  • Vernon White

  • Ryan Yarrell

The review board is expected to appoint an inspector general in early 2022.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story incorrectly indicated that DiMaris Medina-Cortes was still a member of the Columbus Civilian Police Review Board when she applied for the inspector general position. Medina-Cortes had resigned from the review board shortly after being appointed.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: City receives 29 applications for first Inspector General