The Columbus, Ohio, chief of police is stepping down amid a number of controversies – including the recent fatal shooting of two black men in the city by deputies and officials – that drew national attention in his brief one-year term.
Columbus Police Division chief Thomas Quinlan will take over as deputy head of the department while the city carries out a national search for his replacement, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced on Thursday.
“It was clear to me that Chief Quinlan could not successfully implement the reform and change I hope the community requires,” said Ginther. “Columbus residents have lost faith in him and the Division’s ability to change on their own. Chief Quinlan understood. “
Ginther added in his announcement that he will soon appoint members of the city’s first Civilian Review Committee, which will oversee the city’s police, after being approved by voters in November.
Quinlan officially took charge of the department with a one-year contract in December 2019, with an option to extend it, according to NBC affiliate WCMH. He served as interim head of the department for most of 2019, after former chief Kim Jacobs retired.
In a statement to WCMH, Quinlan said that although he hoped to continue in his role, he respected the decision and was proud of his work as a chief.
“Someone now will take these priorities forward and I will help and support them in any way I can,” said Quinlan. “In my three decades of service to Colombo, my commitment has never been to any title or position. It was for this Division and for this community that I love. This is not going to change. “
The news comes after the death of Andre Hill, a 47-year-old black man shot to death by Columbus police just days before Christmas. Hill was a guest at the house where he was shot and did not commit any crime.
Both officers who interacted with Hill did not activate their body cameras until immediately after the shooting, a violation of the department’s protocol. Images from the body camera after the shooting showed that police officers did not help Hill for several minutes after he was shot.
Quinlan was also the subject of an online petition calling for his resignation last year, after the department’s handling of protesters who spoke out against racial injustice after George Floyd’s death. More than 14,000 people signed the petition, which said Quinlan had ordered officials to use tear gas and mace on protesters.
A group of protesters filed a lawsuit against the city in the Southern Ohio District Court in July, claiming that the police violated their First Amendment right to protest and injured them in the city’s effort to disperse the demonstrations, according to the lawsuit. .
The city was also shaken by another fatal shot at a black man, Casey Goodson, 23, who was being investigated by Columbus police. Goodson was shot while walking to his grandmother’s home in December by an assistant to the Franklin County sheriff.
A deputy who worked with a fugitive task force from the US Marshals Service “reported witnessing an armed man” and shot Goodson after a “verbal exchange,” Columbus police said at the time.
Goodson was licensed to carry a concealed firearm and was not the person wanted by the authorities, police said. A preliminary autopsy showed that Goodson was killed after several gunshot wounds to the torso.
