City receives 29 applications for first Inspector General investigating police
“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
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 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.
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.
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
of life through the delivery of constitutional, professional and effective police services in a way that reflects the values of Columbus’ diverse communities.”
From the job posting
experiences as a Black police officer.
Other candidates James Ebersbach, former police chief in Brice, a village best known as a speed trap, and former Franklin County judicial candidate Rena Shak.
Dimaris Medina-cortes, a resident of the Northeast Side, is one of the applicants. In September, Medina-cortes was appointed to the review board to replace Randall Sistrunk, who resigned his position.
Medina-cortes, an investigator for the Ohio Attorney General's office and auxiliary Whitehall police officer, also applied for a position as assistant police chief.
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:
h Leigh Anderson
h David Andrews
h Diarra Cross-davis
h Larry Douglas
h James Ebersbach
h Misael Fierro
h Travis Fisher
h Margaret Green
h David Harper
h Jacqueline Hendricks-moore
h Justin Hopson
h Kateres Lee
h Melissa Mcfadden
h Andrew Mcfarlane
h Dimaris Medina-cortes
h Makiedah Messam
h Erroll Porter
h Russell Rappel Schmid
h Rena Shak
h Swaraj Sharma
h Dean Shear
h Almis Stempuzis
h Sandra Trujillo
h Robert Viduya
h Jeffrey Walsh
h Timothy Weir
h Vernon White
h Ryan Yarrell
The review board is expected to appoint an inspector general in early 2022. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner