Ohio capital city board selects 1st police inspector general

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A Detroit investigator was named Wednesday as the first-ever inspector general tapped to review allegations of police misconduct in Ohio’s capital city.

The Columbus Civilian Police Review Board chose Jacqueline Hendricks-Moore from four finalists to fill the new position beginning in March.

Columbus voters approved both the inspector general position and the city’s first-ever police civilian review board in November 2020 as part of efforts pushed by Mayor Andrew Ginther to strengthen police accountability.

Hendricks-Moore, a retired police sergeant, is currently senior investigator for Detroit’s Office of Inspector General. She is the third former Detroit law enforcement official hired to oversee police issues in Columbus, following the selection last year of Chief Elaine Bryant and Assistant Chief LaShanna Potts.

The inspector general can conduct independent reviews and make recommendations for discipline, but the city’s public safety director would still have the final say.

The selection is the latest development in increased scrutiny of the agency following a series of fatal police shootings of Black people and the city’s heavily criticized response to the 2020 racial injustice protests.

In September, the U.S. Justice Department announced that, at the request of the city, it will review practices of the police department.