Friday, October 22, 1999
Justice Dept. sues Columbus
City's police accused of civil rights violations
BY DEB MARTIN
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS — The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday sued the City of Columbus, charging a pattern of civil rights violations by the police department.
The allegations include excessive force, false arrests and improper searches. The Justice Department reviewed more than 300 complaints.
The lawsuit comes the day after the local Fraternal Order of Police rejected an offer to settle the case. The city and Justice Department reached a tentative settlement in August, but union approval was necessary because the agreement would change practices covered by a labor contract.
The Justice Department asked the U.S. District Court to take no action until Dec. 20 to allow time for more negotiation with the union.
The department filed the lawsuit to give the city a tool to win union approval of the settlement, said Justice Department lawyer Steve Rosenbaum.
“Filing this lawsuit is not intended as an indictment against all the officers in the Columbus Police Department,” he said. “We know there are many fine officers doing their jobs properly, but there are officers that are problematic.
“The department also has problems training, supervising, investigating complaints and disciplining its officers.”
The leadership and performance of the police department has been a top issue in the Nov. 2 mayoral election. GOP candidate County Commissioner Dorothy Teater has criticized her opponent, Democratic City Council President Michael Coleman, for voting to give embattled Police Chief James Jackson a pay raise.
Columbus was only the third city in the nation to be threatened with a lawsuit by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division under the authority of a 1994 law. Steubenville and Pittsburgh reached agreements known as consent decrees in which they promised to correct problems in the training, supervision and discipline of officers.
The lawsuit said the 1,700-member Columbus police department has a pattern of using excessive force against people who committed no crime or only minor offenses. It also accused police of falsely arresting or charging people who see police misconduct or are believed likely to complain of misconduct.
“These are serious allegations, but that's all they are,” said city attorney Janet Jackson. “It will be my job to prove they are wrong.”
Ms. Jackson said most Columbus police officers act in a lawful manner and she doesn't believe the Justice Department can prove any pattern of abusive conduct.
Ms. Jackson said she would prefer to resolve the matter with a consent decree because of the cost of a trial.
FOP President William Capretta said the union is still willing to negotiate a settlement, but not in the form of a consent decree.
“A consent decree is the federal government running our police department,” Mr. Capretta said Thursday.
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