New CCA director reports smaller backlog, calls for faster CPD records sharing and clearer definitions

John Kennedy, executive director of the Citizens' Complaint Authority, told the Public Safety and Quality of Life committee he began the role in September and has focused on reducing the case backlog and improving meeting clarity and public access to information.

Kennedy said CCA currently has 15 cases older than 180 days and 22 cases between 90 and 180 days. He identified delay in receiving records from the Cincinnati Police Department as the primary bottleneck for writing reports and completing analyses: "Because until we receive all the records from CPD, we can't analyze the complaints or the police conduct, and we can't write any reports," Kennedy said. He added that he has a working relationship with the head of records and that recent outreach has produced a flurry of record responses.

On staffing, Kennedy said CCA's investigator complement is filled at seven investigators and that recent hires helped clear the larger backlog of older cases. He described operational changes to improve transparency and efficiency: prioritizing cases that result in sustained findings at the start of board agendas, showing short body-worn camera clips during meetings to reduce interpretive disagreement, and using director's reports to highlight outstanding issues and thematic patterns across multiple cases.

Kennedy said CCA created a working definition of "harassment" and included it in his director's report so complaints alleging harassment can be meaningfully analyzed; he noted the definition is not binding on CPD and that CPD disagrees with the necessity of the definition but has responded to it. Regarding systemic data, Kennedy said the city does not consistently log instances when officers draw but do not use tasers, which limits the ability to detect patterns by officer or circumstance.

Council members asked what resources might help speed case resolution. Kennedy said training for investigators and the opportunity to send staff to the National Association for Civilian Complaint Oversight conference in Louisville could be valuable. He also noted a technical limitation: CCA currently cannot access Axon (the body-camera platform) directly because Axon access requires RCIC certification, which slows the process of blurring and producing footage for review.

Kennedy said CCA posts all case reports online and intends to publish a document tracking recommendations given to CPD alongside CPD's responses to improve public transparency. He reiterated the administrative code's 90-day target for case resolution and said he considers that an achievable goal once records receipt is timely and current caseloads remain smaller than in prior years.

The committee did not take formal action on these items; members thanked Kennedy and offered support for the agency's work going forward.