Division disbands vice squad

The Columbus police Vice Unit is being disbanded and its officers are being reassigned, Interim Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan announced on social media Tuesday night.

The vice section currently is part of the Narcotics Bureau. Quinlan said that vice-related crimes will be handled in a different fashion, with a more community-based approach. Quinlan, in a short video on a Police Division Twitter post, said more details will be forthcoming.

Three of the 10 officers assigned to the Vice Unit are under suspension. Andrew

Mitchell, a 31-year veteran, recently was indicted on federal charges, accused of holding two women against their will until they had sex with him.

Two officers, Steven Rosser and Whitney Lancaster, also were suspended last year in connection with an ongoing FBI Public Corruption Task Force investigation. Neither Rosser nor Lancaster has been charged.

Quinlan mentioned that three officers — he didn’t name them — had been removed from the Vice Unit. In the video, Quinlan said he met with the remaining seven officers and told them their jobs were being abolished and that they would be reassigned.

“It is not a reflection on all the officers involved in vice,” Quinlan said of his decision. But Quinlan said that it has become clear that there has to be a better approach to handle offenses involving prostitution, alcohol and gambling.

In recent weeks, a Columbus police internalaffairs investigation of the July 11, 2018 arrest of porn actress Stormy Daniels at the Sirens Gentlemen’s Club found there was “no direct evidence” of political motivation by the three vice unit officers and one patrol officer involved. But that investigation also found that the arrest of Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was improper.

Charges were dropped against Clifford and two other Sirens dancers, Miranda Panda and Brittany Walters. Clifford, who has said she had a sexual encounter with Donald Trump before he was president, has sued the city. The city already has paid a total settlement of $150,000 in a lawsuit filed by Panda and Walters.

Quinlan said he will meet with Deputy Chief Tim Becker, who supervised the internal investigation, before he reveals the new strategy for handling vice complaints.

“Change and reform is hard but necessary to become the best of the best,” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said later on social media.

“I applaud Police Chief Tom Quinlan’s decision to disband the Vice Unit, recognizing the Unit has lost the public’s trust,” he said. “I also commend the dedicated, hardworking officers of our Division of Police who dedicate their lives to safer neighborhoods across Columbus.”