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Columbus honors inaugural Civilian Police Review Board members
Summary
City leaders presented citations to four inaugural members of the Civilian Police Review Board, recognizing their service since the board was created by a 2020 charter amendment and noting the board's role in civilian oversight of the Columbus Division of Police.
Columbus city leaders recognized four inaugural members of the Civilian Police Review Board on the occasion of a public ceremony that preceded the board's regular monthly meeting.
Deputy Inspector General Richard Blunt opened the program by welcoming attendees to “the first Civilian Police Review Board recognition ceremony,” and Inspector General Jacqueline Hendricks read formal citations honoring the four inaugural members for their service to the board and the city.
The recognition commemorated the board created after Columbus voters approved a city charter amendment on Nov. 3, 2020, which established an independent Civilian Police Review Board and the Department of Inspector General to provide civilian oversight and investigation capacity for the Columbus Division of Police. As described at the ceremony, the board reviews investigative findings and issues recommendations to the chief of police and the director of public safety; the Department of Inspector General conducts independent investigations of alleged misconduct.
Mayor Andrew J. Ginther thanked the honorees and framed the oversight work as compatible with supporting police. “We said we can support our police and demand accountability and reform at the same time,” Ginther said. “We can support our officers and make sure that they're treating our neighbors the way we expect them to be treated. We can do both.”
The honorees presented with citations were Janet Jackson, Mark Fluharty, Willard McIntosh Jr. and Reverend Charles Tatum. During the ceremony Inspector General Hendricks read a standard citation text describing the board’s establishment by charter amendment and the mayoral appointments that followed in March 2021.
Janet Jackson, who served as the board’s inaugural chair, spoke briefly after receiving her citation. Jackson said the mayor called her in January 2021 to ask her to serve and described the work as among the most important public-service roles she has held. “What we did was an act of love for the city, the citizens who live here, and, yes, for our police department,” Jackson said.
Program remarks summarized each honoree’s service and committee roles. According to the citations read at the event: Jackson served on the Civilian Police Review Board from April 2021 through April 2023 and served as chair; Mark Fluharty served from April 2021 through April 2023 and participated on training, education, rules and regulations committees; Willard McIntosh Jr. served from April 2021 through June 2024 and chaired a subcommittee; and Reverend Charles Tatum served from April 2021 through April 2024 and worked on community engagement and nominations efforts.
Event organizers reminded attendees that the board’s monthly meeting would begin immediately after the ceremony at 2:00 p.m., and a group photo with the mayor was scheduled following the presentations. The citations were presented by Mayor Ginther and read aloud by Inspector General Hendricks.
The ceremony highlighted the formal existence and early membership of Columbus’s civilian oversight structure, which officials said was put in place to increase transparency and accountability in policing. No formal board votes or policy changes occurred during the ceremony; it served as an acknowledgment of prior service and as an occasion to reaffirm the city’s oversight commitments.
