Civilian review board chair to step down
Former Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Janet Jackson has decided to step down as chair of the Civilian Police Review Board.
Jackson, 69, was appointed as the chair of the board in 2021 when the board, which is tasked with providing oversight to Columbus police, was created.
Mayor Andrew J. Ginther’s office said Friday that Jackson would be stepping down at the end of her term in April. While members of the board will typically serve three-year terms, several members of the board were given a two-year term at the board’s inception to stagger the terms.
Jackson was not at the board’s most recent meeting, which took place Tuesday afternoon. The board’s vicechair, Brooke Burns, said Jackson was ill and could not be at the meeting.
Columbus voters approved the creation of the review board in November 2020 following protests and increasing scrutiny of policing in the city.
When reached for comment by The Dispatch, Jackson’s son said she would not be commenting on her decision at this time.
Jackson’s departure will be the third vacancy on the 11-member board. One seat was vacated by the resignation of a member for personal reasons. A seat was formally vacated earlier this week with the removal by City Council of Gambit Aragon from the board.
Seats on the board can be filled by appointment from Ginther or from City Council, with council approving all appointments. Board members serve for staggered three-year terms with an option for a second three-year term.
Jackson was chosen by Ginther to serve a three-year term as chair of the board. Jackson previously chaired the city’s Community Safety Advisory Commission, which had recommended a police oversight board, and had also served as a city attorney and judge in Franklin County Municipal Court.
Since beginning their work in late 2021, the Civilian Review Board has held monthly meetings, going over training and building processes and procedures, as well as hiring the city’s first-ever Inspector General. Earlier this year, the board began reviewing the first cases of allegations of police misconduct.
The review of those cases by subcommittees became problematic after several members mentioned in a regular board meeting that the subcommittee meetings, which are required to be public, violated Ohio’s open meetings law.
Aragon’s removal, which came after he posted multiple comments on social media related to a canceled drag show event at a North Side school, drew criticism and Aragon said in his departure that the board was ineffective. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner