Mayor Andrew J. Ginther Appoints Thomas Quinlan as Police Chief
Mayor Andrew J. Ginther announced
that after a thorough and thoughtful process, he has selected Interim Chief
Thomas Quinlan to be the next Police Chief for the City of Columbus.
“When we embarked on this search
nearly a year ago, I said I wanted a change agent who displayed honesty and
integrity and could make policing more community minded to meet the needs of
the residents,” said Mayor Ginther. “Serving as interim chief, Tom has made
solid strides in the right direction by reorganizing the Division, disbanding
the Vice Unit and making strong connections between police and the community. I
want to continue that momentum.”
For the first time in the City’s
history, the City was able to look outside the Division for a new police chief.
It began an exhaustive search when former Chief Kimberley Jacobs retired in
February.
Under the direction of Deputy Chief
of Staff Dawn Tyler Lee, the City formed a search advisory committee with a
range of law enforcement and community leaders, and engaged hundreds of
residents and police officers for their views on the next Police Chief. The
search firm of Ralph Anderson and Associates constructed a job description from
the community’s feedback then recruited several candidates for consideration.
The final two candidates went through an extensive interview process with the
Mayor, other city officials and stakeholders and participated in a public forum
last month where they answered questions from residents.
“I am grateful for the over 4,000
people who participated in this historic search process for our next police
chief,” said Lee. “Community feedback helped shape the job description and the
types of candidates we recruited. From
taking the survey to attending a focus group or community forum, resident
engagement was the cornerstone of the search. In January, we committed to
shaping a transparent, comprehensive, well thought out process, and we have
delivered on that commitment.”
Mayor Ginther pointed to the
results of the Matrix Consulting firm and the Columbus Safety Advisory
Commission expected next month as a roadmap for Chief Quinlan. Addressing
racism, increasing diversity among the ranks, holding officers accountable and
building community-police relations will be the markers for success for the
Chief.
“We have come a long way during
the past year. We have enhanced policing
in Columbus with innovative new strategies.
We are transforming the organization and redefining our mission and
values. We continue to be
community-focused and service-driven,” said Quinlan. “We’ve only just begun on a path of progress
designed to make Columbus safer, to ensure members of the community feel they
have a voice in the service we provide, and to know they can worry more about
what good they can do for their neighbor, rather than what harm their neighbor
might do to them.”
Chief Quinlan will officially be
sworn in at a later date and serve a one-year probationary term. At that time,
he can be reappointed for up to two five-year terms or a total of 10 years.