COLUMBUS, Ohio — With the application process now closed, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said he hopes to name a new police chief in the next 30 days.
Thirty-four people applied for the job.
In January, Thomas Quinlan, who was named chief in February of 2019, stepped down at the mayor's request. When announcing Quinlan's demotion to deputy chief, Ginther said Quinlan "could not successfully implement the reform and change" he expected and that the community demands.
“What I am looking for in a new chief, what the community is looking for in a new chief, our commitment to change and reform, transparency and accountability,” Ginther said.
Among the candidates to lead the Columbus Division of Police is Dallas Deputy Police Chief Avery Moore.
“I have, I've talked with him a couple of times. He seems like a great leader, someone with a track record of change and reform, leadership. There are many other candidates,” Ginther said.
For a second time in two years, the city hired the firm Ralph Andersen and Associates to conduct the search. The city paid the firm $50,000 in 2019, as well as an additional $50,000 to a different firm for community outreach. Thirty-six people applied to lead the division in 2019.
For this search, the city has agreed to pay Ralph Andersen and Associates $38,500.
Deputy Chief Mike Woods stepped into the role as interim chief when Quinlan stepped down. Though he retired on April 24, he agreed to stay on until the new chief begins.
List of applicants:
1. Timothy Becker - Deputy Chief, Columbus Division of Police
2. Elaine Bryant – Deputy Chief, Detroit Police Department
3. Gary Cameron – Pickaway County Chief Dog Warden
4. Thomas Cassella – Director of Security & Valet at Caesars Entertainment
5. Robert Clark – Senior Superintendent at Trinidad & Tobago Police Service & Adjunct Professor
6. Ronald Davis – Police Captain, METRA Police Department
7. Derrick Diggs – Chief of Police, Fort Myers Police Department
8. Guytano Farnan – Chief of Police at Town of Oak Creek, Colorado
9. John Franklin – Chief of Police, Jacksonville, AR Police Department
10. Bryan Gomez – Market Director at Common Spirit Health
11. Garrik Haynes – Executive Officer to Deputy Chief (Bureau Operations Sergeant)
12. James Kohl – Vice President for Administration & Public Safety
13. Kenneth Kuebler – Deputy Chief of Police, Columbus Division of Police, Special Operations Subdivision
14. Joseph Lestrange – Division Chief with Homeland Security Investigations in Washington, D.C.
15. Patrick Melvin – Court Information & Release Operations Administrator, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
16. Anthony Miranda – Chief of Police/Director of Security in New York City
17. Gideon Mitchell – Substitute Teacher at Columbus Public Schools
18. Avery Moore – Assistant Chief of Police, Dallas Police Department
19. Jessica Moore – Special Agent with Federal Bureau of Investigation
20. Bryan Norwood – Vice President of Public Safety in Virginia
21. Estella Patterson – Deputy Chief with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
22. Donald Pezzuto – Deputy-Court Security Officer, Will County Sheriff’s Office
23. Edward Reynolds – Chief of Police, Southern University at Shreveport Police Department
24. Ivonne Roman – Co-Founder of 30X30 Initiative, NYU Policing Project
25. LaRon Singletary – Chief, Rochester Police Department
26. St. Francis Smith – Special Agent, FL Department of Environmental Protection-Division of Law Enforcement
27. Wendy Stiver – Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning, Fiscal Office, Public Information & Inspections & Audits
28. Robert Strausbaugh – Commander, Columbus Division of Police
29. Joseph Sullivan – Deputy Commissioner Patrol Operations, Philadelphia Police Department
30. Perry Tarrant – Former Assistant Police Chief in Seattle
31. David Taylor – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, National Account Manager
32. Dana Walters – Registered Nurse, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
33. Samuel Wyatt – Director, Office of Internal Audit at Louisiana State University System
34. Michael Zerbonia – Major General, Assistant Adjutant General with Illinois Army National Guard