Pool of police IG candidates narrowed to 13
The pool of candidates vying for the position of Columbus’ first police Inspector General has been narrowed to 13, and includes a city police lieutenant.
The initial pool of 29 candidates was cut down by Ralph Andersen and Associates, a national firm hired by the city to help with the search. That same firm has also been used by the city in two national searches for a police chief, ultimately leading to the hiring of current Chief Elaine Bryant, and a national search for a fire chief.
Among the 13 remaining candidates in the pool is current Columbus police Lt. Melissa Mcfadden, who has an ongoing federal lawsuit against the division. Mcfadden self-published a book in 2020 detailing her account of her experience of racism within the division that she has been a member of for 24 years.
On her resume submitted as part of her application for the Inspector General position, Mcfadden said the book detailed the “personal trauma of working for a racist police department.” Mcfadden’s cover letter also said the division’s internal affairs investigators had “totally destroyed their credibility.”
Another candidate, Justin Hopson, an investigative consultant based in South Carolina, said in his cover letter that he would continue the investigation into police actions during racial injustice protests in 2020.
In his cover letter, Hopson addressed the Bakerhostetler investigation into allegations of administrative misconduct by officers during the protests. Those investigations found only a handful of issues, which resulted in one officer receiving documented counseling.
“This scenario will not happen under my watch,” Hopson wrote.
An arbitrator later ruled the use of Bakerhostetler to conduct the investigations was in violation of the city’s contract with the Fraternal Order of Police.
Applicant Jacqueline Hendricksmoore, a senior investigator for Detroit’s Office of Inspector General and a member of the Detroit police department for 27 years when she retired as a sergeant, said she intends to build community and police trust in the Inspector General’s office if she is selected.
Hendricks-moore said she would accomplish this through training and reviewing policies that are in place prior to beginning investigations. She included a plan for her first six months and goals for her first year in office among her application materials.
Another applicant with Detroit connections is Pamela Davis, former chief investigator for the Detroit Inspector General, who ended her term in 2017. She is also a licensed social worker in Michigan
Columbus police Chief Elaine Bryant, the city’s first chief from outside the division and the first African-american female, and Assistant Chief Lashanna Potts also both were formerly with the Detroit police department.
The other remaining candidates in the pool for the inspector general’s position are:
● David Andrews, a special investigator for the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Office of the Inspector General. Andrews also worked as a LAPD sergeant until 2005.
● David Harper, currently the Inspector General for Florida’s Department of Financial Services. He previously worked as Inspector General for Albuquerque and worked in the United State Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations.
● Andrew Mcfarlane, the current Director of Investigations for Jacksonville, Florida’s Inspector General office. Mcfarlane also was the program manager for Hocking College’s criminal justice program and was a special agent for the U.S. Department of Labor.
● Dimaris Medina-cortes, a special agent with the Ohio Attorney General’s office, also works as a police officer in Mifflin Township and is a former auxillary officer in Whitehall. She was briefly a member of the Civilian Review Board in 2021, but resigned shortly after her appointment.
● Rena Shak, a staff attorney for the Franklin County Public Defender’s office. Shak ran for Franklin County Municipal
Court judge in 2021.
● Dean Shear, owner of Masai Security Consulting and Advisory Services, based in Virginia. Shear previously worked for the United States Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.
● Almis “AJ” Stempuzis, a magistrate for Willoughby Municipal Court. Stempuzis was formerly the deputy chief for Beachwood police in northeast Ohio.
● Jeffrey Walsh, a deputy chief inspector in inspections and compliance at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency headquarters. Walsh has worked in federal law enforcement for more than 30 years and was the principal incident commander for the DEA’S involvement in the investigation of the Pulse Night Club attack in Orlando, Florida, in 2016.
● Timothy Weir, currently director of the Office of Public Integrity in Rochester, New York, previously worked as an FBI agent for 26 years.
Two-thirds of the city’s Civilian Police Review Board members will have to approve of the Inspector General candidate, who will then be appointed by Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. The position will be for a five-year term, with an option for a second five-year term.
The Inspector General will be able to hire their own staff and investigators, who will conduct investigations into allegations of police misconduct and then provide their findings to the review board.
bbruner@dispatch.com