Emails obtained by JMTN show the communications sent by Chief Thomas Quinlan of the Columbus Division of Police ("CPD") to his officers in the wake of George Floyd's killing and the ensuing protests.
At no point in the nearly two weeks following George Floyd's killing did Chief Quinlan mention George Floyd by name in his division-wide emails, nor did he condemn the behavior of the Minneapolis police officers.
In response to a request for "all emails, memos, or other internal correspondence sent between May 25, 2020 and June 5, 2020 by Chief Quinlan to all sworn employees, or all employees, of the Columbus Division of Police," CPD sent JMTN this twelve-page collection of emails, as well as a statement saying there were no "memos or other correspondence." Accordingly, JMTN believes that this document represents all of the messaging that was sent by Chief Quinlan to his employees as a whole.
May 28, 6:25 PM
The first communication relating to George Floyd, who was killed on May 25 while in the custody of four officers of the Minneapolis Police Department, came on the evening of May 28, more than three days after the killing, and more than two days after footage from the scene made national news. In the email, sent by Chief Quinlan to all CPD employees, Quinlan quotes the following portion of the statement released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which Quinlan is a member of:
"MCCA members have worked tirelessly to build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. What occured in Minneapolis is a sobering reminder of how quickly bad policing can undermine that trust. The law enforcement community must do better and hold ourselves to a higher standard."
Quinlan excluded other portions of the statement [which is available in full here], including the first sentence: "the death of Mr. Floyd is deeply disturbing and should be of concern to all Americans," and the last "we extend our deepest condolences to the Floyd family and will lift them up in prayer during
this difficult time."
May 29, 6:58 PM
On the evening of May 29, Quinlan sent another email, in part thanking his officers for "landing on the right side of this escalating and dangerous situation." News reports about the events of the previous night indicates that police used force only after objects were thrown at officers, and buildings were damaged.
A section of this email, titled "Chief's Intent for weekend operations," lists four "enduring goals"
1. "Protect and maintain the health and safety of all persons, to include sworn personnel."
2. "Protect peaceful demonstration and 1st amendment rights for all citizens"
3. "Protect all public and private property"
4. "Respond to all priority calls for service from the public"
Quinlan also stated that "if use of force becomes necessary, all uses of force will be guided by law and division policy and except in cases of personal emergency all uses of force will be at the direction of a division supervisor."
It is not clear whether the pepper spraying of several individuals, including Rep Joyce Beatty, Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce, and Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin, conducted on the Sunday following the email, was a "personal emergency," or whether it was "at the direction of a division supervisor." It is also not clear how this use of force fits into Quinlan's "enduring goals."
May 31, 3:26 AM
In an email sent early on May 31, Quinlan addressed an email "To All Central Ohio Law Enforcement Who Stood Strong Though Rioting in Columbus." In the email Quinlan referred to "riots in our city later that same day [Thursday] aimed at police actions that originated far outside Columbus." Quinlan went on to say:
"I ask that you not be too quick to judge other groups by their worst examples or too blind to only see policing through best intentions. We all felt we were being persecuted unfairly over these past several days and wanted to speak out or even act out against the apparent injustice we felt. If you felt that then you understand how others might feel similarly as strong in speaking out and even acting out against apparent injustice however it might be defined in their world view."
At no point in the email did Quinlan use the word "protests," or "protestors."
May 31, 9:10 AM
In a separate email sent on the morning of May 31, Quinlan directed that "all sworn personnel are to have their riot gear with them." The email also cancelled several forms of leave for officers, stated "all sworn are scheduled to work 12-hour shifts," and ordered that "all non-covert personnel will work in uniform."
However, the State of Ohio Peace Officer Basic Training Manual on "Civil Disorders" [obtained by WOSU] says that "visible officers should be kept to a minimum and wear their normal uniform" during "lawful demonstrations."
The author of the training manual? Thomas Quinlan.
June 2, 2:14 PM
More than a week after George Floyd's killing, Columbus Police used George Floyd's name in a division-wide email for the first time. The email, sent by Deputy Chief Richard Bash, directed officers to report any injuries they suffered "as a result of the civil disobedience during the protests of the George Floyd death."
The City of Columbus did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
Here's our sources, so you can see for yourself:
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