The director of Cincinnati's police oversight board, Gabe Davis, is resigning to become the new CEO of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center.
The OJPC is a non-profit law firm and advocacy organization, founded by Cincinnati attorney Al Gerhardstein in 1997 (the organization was first known as the Prison Reform Advocacy Center).
"I couldn't be more excited to lead OJPC in its critical mission to create fair, redemptive, and intelligent criminal justice systems," Davis said in a statement. "This is the unfinished business of our time."
His last day with the city will be August 11.
Davis started leading the Citizen Complaint Authority in August 2020. At that time,the department had been underfunded and short-staffed for years, and had a huge backlog in cases.
Cincinnati Council approved the first major increase in funding in 2020, with another big bump the next year. After hiring more investigators, the CCA is now on track to clear the backlog of cases by the end of the year.
"When I took this position nearly three years ago, I had a big vision for CCA and a big vision for what I called the 'revolutionary idea' that everyday citizens should have an active role in providing oversight over the actions of our police," Davis said at Monday night's CCA meeting. "We are on track to eliminate the backlog by the end of this calendar year, while bringing resolution to dozens of complaints and providing citizens with closure and with answers."
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The CCA investigates all cases of serious police interactions like firing a weapon, major use of force, and when a person dies in custody. An advisory board can approve director's recommendations for discipline or policy changes, but the CCA has no direct authority over police staffing or regulations.
Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long declined an interview but provided WVXU with a statement: "I want to thank Gabe Davis for his years of service and wish him well at OJPC. We will assign an interim director prior to Mr. Davis's departure, then engage with a third-party firm to conduct a national search for a permanent replacement."
Iris Roley of the Black United Front helped negotiate the Collaborative Agreement that led to the creation of the CCA two decades ago. She says anyone applying for the job should be well aware of the city's history and problem-solving approach.
"And someone that can come in and help us make the processes a little bit more efficient so we can get to get the backlog taken care of," Roley said.
Another city department head left his job this month. A memo from City Manager Long dated July 5 says Department of Economic Inclusion Director Collin Mays left city service effective July 1. The memo gives no explanation for Mays' abrupt departure
Laura Castillo has been appointed interim director, after serving as deputy director.
The City Manager's Office has not yet responded to a request for more information about Mays' departure and the process for hiring a permanent replacement.
