Mayor announces five-year reappointment of Columbus Police Chief Bryant

Mayor Gther announced at the King Center that Columbus Police Chief Bryant has accepted an invitation to serve a five-year term leading the Columbus Division of Police. The event featured remarks from the city attorney, community partners and the chief herself, who outlined accomplishments and priorities for the next term.

The mayor framed the 2021 hiring as a response to the pandemic-era spike in violence and community demand for reform. He said the city sought an outside leader with experience in internal affairs and civilian oversight, and credited Chief Bryant with driving departmental changes including a new assistant chief classification and an early-retirement incentive that opened leadership roles. "She was the right leader at the right time for our community," the mayor said.

City Attorney Zach Klene praised the mayor92s decision and commended Chief Bryant92s leadership and partnership with prosecutorial and legal staff. Community organizations that work with young people echoed that praise: Aaron Hathaway, executive director of Epic Youth, described the chief and the first assistant chief92s active engagement with students and said the department92s presence has helped build trust. Wesley Moore, founder and CEO of Our Brothers Keepers, said direct outreach and regular check-ins by police leaders led young men of color to view officers as partners rather than strangers.

The mayor and others presented crime and clearance statistics as evidence of progress. They said there were roughly 73 homicides in mid-May 2021 versus 21 so far this year and cited improvements in felony assault and case closures. The administration also highlighted a claimed 2025 homicide solve rate figure reported in the remarks (stated as 123.8%, described as 88.1% of 2025 homicides plus cases from prior years), and past annual solve rates of 54.8% (2020) and 64.8% (2021). The mayor credited initiatives such as the Crime Gun Intelligence Center, an interagency effort including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that speeds ballistic matches, and a nonfatal shooting team pilot in South Linden and Milo-Grogan that was said to have a 92% case-closure rate compared with 59% citywide.

Chief Bryant, who spoke after community remarks, reflected on arriving from Detroit under difficult conditions and said progress has required listening to both residents and officers. "We have some deputy chiefs back there," she said, thanking staff and partners and adding, "I remain committed to this division and the work." She listed continued priorities including youth-focused projects, technology upgrades and holding violent offenders accountable.

In a brief question-and-answer period, reporters asked whether the chief92s salary would remain the same; city staff said they would provide salary details later. When asked whether the nonfatal shooting team would expand, the chief said expansion is planned pending data review and location analysis. On calls for the Fraternal Order of Police president to resign over recent remarks, the chief stated that the FOP president "does not speak for the Columbus Division of Police" and emphasized ongoing community relationships.

The event concluded with congratulations and thanks. No formal council vote or other official action was recorded during the event; the announcement was presented as an executive appointment and affirmation of the chief92s continued leadership.