COLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbus’ new police chief has been on the job for a little over three months. Elaine Bryant is steadily making her way around the city, meeting with members of the community. She told leaders at the Columbus Metropolitan Club Wednesday, that while she is new and an outsider, her goal is to be transparent and honest.
Bryant came into the job at a time when there was a lot of tension between the community and the police. In making her rounds to visit with community members, she said she understood there was a disconnect between the two — that people really do support police but that “they’re also extremely fed up with the violence that’s occurring in our city,” she explained.
Hoping to bridge that gap, Bryant said she’s also focused on working with youth under 18.
“When you’re dealing with youth, they not only make up a big percentage of the offenders, but they also make up a big percentage of the victims as well,” she said.
Bryant added that the department can’t arrest their way out of this problem, which is why “we can’t just focus on locking up the child. We have to figure out what we can do to heal that entire family so that they can be able to be sustainable,” she said.
For Bryant, this also means creating more youth programs and finding a way to reconnect with Columbus City Schools since school resource officers were pulled out of the district.
Still, Bryant said there’s more to do. They’ve got to boost recruitment, while diversifying the department, in addition to making changes to training and “in regards to organizational accountability, there will be some overhaul and changes to the way the resources are allocated.”
Bryant stated clearly that while they’re looking at resources, defunding the police is not on the table.
For now, Bryant said she’ll continue making her rounds and meeting community members. Her only ask: “Be patient with us and understand that we are moving in that right direction,” she said.
