Columbus plans to pay $500,000 voluntary retirement buyouts to four deputy police chiefs
The city of Columbus is offering $500,000 voluntary retirement buyout payments to five of the six deputy chiefs at the Division of Police, but only four will be selected to receive the incentive.
According to details provided to The Dispatch by city Human Relations Director Nicole Brandon, five deputy chiefs will be eligible to opt into the program on Monday and will have 24 hours to inform the city if they are interested.
Previous coverage:Columbus City Council passes police buyout ordinance — without knowing details
The $500,000 payment is available for up to four deputy chiefs with 25 or more years of experience. That would exclude Deputy Chief Smith Weir, who has 23 years of experience.
The remaining five deputy chiefs, Tim Becker, Jennifer Knight, Ken Kuebler, Thomas Quinlan and Kelly Weiner, would be selected for the buyout based on seniority, should all five of them indicate interest. If selected, the deputy chiefs would depart in January.
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But there is a catch — any deputy chief accepting the buyout would have to dismiss any legal complaints or lawsuits filed against the city that are related to their employment.
Knight currently has a federal lawsuit pending against Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, Chief Elaine Bryant and the city, alleging that she has been targeted for drug tests and forced to perform those tests in the nude.
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission said a complaint filed by Kuebler is still pending initial determination. No additional details about his complaint can be released until it is heard by the commission, spokesperson Mary Turocy said.
Related coverage:Four Columbus deputy police chiefs apply for Springfield chief position
The Dispatch was first to report that four of the deputy chiefs who are eligible for the buyout have also applied to become the next Springfield police chief in the Dayton area.
In August, the City Council approved language for up to $1 million in funds for a buyout for deputy chiefs, enough for a payment of $300,000 for three people. The council has not yet approved the additional funding and it is not clear where the money would be drawn from to pay for the potential $2 million in payments to give four deputy chiefs a half-million dollars each.
Emails sent to the deputy chiefs in September show that the initial offer of a buyout was for $300,000 each for three deputy chiefs. No deputy chiefs took that offer.
It is also unclear whether the police division would promote to fill the roles of deputy chiefs or would instead hire assistant chiefs, which could be internal or external candidates.
The city previously offered a $200,000 buyout to 100 officers who had 25 or more years of experience. That money was provided from federal COVID relief funds.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: City offering $500,000 to deputy police chiefs as retirement incentive
