Six people have been appointed to serve on a civilian oversight board that hears appeals of police department complaints.
The individuals serving on the Community Police Review Board were selected by Mayor Jim Lienhoop and will serve staggered terms. The board was previously known as the Audit and Review Committee, originally created in 1992, before changes were approved by the city in March.
Besides the committee’s name, changes included making complaint forms and brochures available at locations outside of Columbus City Hall such as the Bartholomew County Public Library and the United Way building. Those documents will provide individuals with a summary of the complaint process, according to the city.
The name change was also meant to better reflect the board’s purpose, said Mary Ferdon, executive director of community administration and community development, in an earlier interview.
The appointed board members are:
Annette Barnes, who serves as chaplain to the Columbus Police Department and is a member of the Columbus Human Rights Commission. She has served on the Audit and Review Committee since 1992.
Olisa Humes, a division administrator at Diversified Management who is involved with the Bartholomew County chapter of the NAACP.
Fred King, a former mechanical engineer at Cummins Inc. and former adjunct professor of math at Ivy Tech Community College. He is an elder at the Calvary Community Church and is also an active member of the African American Pastors Alliance.
Ric King, a metrology lab technician who worked at Cummins for nearly 49 years. He is a member of the emergency response team at Cummins and has served on the Audit and Review Committee since 1992.
Joseline Medina, a college student at IUPUC who has volunteered at organization such as the Latino-American Organization of Volunteers in Education and the Columbus Youth Development.
Dan Mitchell, who serves as senior pastor at The Sanctuary Church, where he has worked for more than 38 years. He also served as a mayoral appointee on the Audit and Review Committee and played a role in organizing city-wide training on implicit bias in 1992, according to the city.
Other than the six appointed members, a representative from the Columbus Police Department and a Columbus City Council member liaison will also serve on the eight-member board. However, those two individuals would not be involved in hearing appeals that are filed.
