In response to body camera video showing a Columbus Division of Police officer’s physical arrest of a 14-year-old Black teen for a pedestrian traffic violation, city officials condemned the fired officer’s conduct and assured citizens the incident doesn’t reflect the department as a whole.
Donovan Bever was one of two officers fired within a week's time this month for misconduct. On June 10, Columbus Public Safety Director Kate Pishotti terminated Bever from his position. On Wednesday, she fired officer Robert Spann for repeatedly having sex with a grocery store worker while on uniformed off-duty security detail at the store.
The videos show a physical arrest of a teen who complied with officer commands after initially fleeing. They also capture harsh, cussing and threatening remarks from the officers.
"I was angry, disappointed, upset," Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said of her reaction to the footage. "That is not what we reflect as Columbus Division of Police. The majority of our officers have great relationships with our community."
News of the firings followed a guilty plea by a former Columbus narcotics officer in a federal cocaine possession case, as well as the department’s sixth fatal shooting this year by an officer. Bryant said misconduct like Bever’s damages the public trust the department has worked to build.
"Something like this can erode it in seconds," Bryant said.
Without that trust, officers receive less information from the community and have a harder time solving crimes, she said.
Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capitol City Lodge No. 9, on Thursday said he was made aware of the terminations this past week. He said the union intends to review both cases to determine if proper procedures were followed.
‘I’ll break your face’
On Feb. 19, a group of male teens lingered in the street while crossing in a crosswalk, which Bryant said could be considered a pedestrian in the roadway violation. Bever and another officer witnessed the group crossing the street.
The interaction began when Bever and another officer drove up to the teenagers in their cruiser and said, "Let’s chat." The male teens fled.
The officers came upon two of the teens on a sidewalk after a brief foot chase. They pulled their guns and told the teens to get on the ground or they would shoot, and the teens complied.
Footage from Bever’s body-worn camera shows the teen’s face being forced into the pavement, bloodying the youth's nose. Bever roughly searched him and threw the contents of the teen’s pockets at his face, and according to division records he struck the teen in the groin during the search.
In the video, Bever can be heard saying to the teen, "You move, I'll break your face."
He dragged the teen by his dreadlocks to a waiting transport vehicle.
The boy expressed pain, fear, and shock during the arrest. He apologized throughout the arrest and told Bever that he was hurting him.
"I’m alright, just don’t do that again because that (expletive) hurt," the teen said when Bever asked if he was okay. "And for what, bro? It wasn’t that serious."
At the transport vehicle, the teen asked for a different officer, saying he didn’t trust Bever.
Bryant said the officers handled the situation poorly from the start. They should have pulled the cruiser over, exited the vehicle, and had a civil conversation with the teens about pedestrian laws, she said. Drawing guns was not necessary, and the force Bever used to take the boy into custody was not justifiable, she said.
Bever’s gun and badge were confiscated within hours of the arrest, and he was placed on leave, according to department records.
Sex on the job
Spann was fired for having sexual intercourse with a store employee several times while doing uniformed off-duty work as a security guard at a Columbus grocery store in August and September. Spann was working special duty, meaning he wore his Columbus uniform but was not being paid by the city.
Bryant said she’s aware of other instances in which officers behaved inappropriately on the job, but said she couldn’t remember an officer doing so repeatedly. The department looked into the situation to determine whether criminal charges were necessary, but the sex was consensual and the store did not wish to press charges, Bryant said.
A grocery manager reported the sexual activity to the Ohio Inspector General, which in turn informed the Columbus Division of Police.
Columbus police officers are never allowed to have sex while they’re working, including during uniformed off-duty details, Bryant said. Further, Spann’s actions took him away from his actual job of improving security within the store.
Language on the job
Bever’s personnel file shows a mostly clean record, though supervisors and members of the community had previously expressed concerns about his language on the job.
An internal investigation following a Nov. 21, 2021, arrest of a fleeing suspect in a domestic dispute case found that Bever followed policy when he deployed his Taser. But Bever did violate policy "by continually swearing at the arrestee while taking him into custody," the supervisor wrote.
The supervisor added that he had previously warned Bever about his language toward arrestees.
In Bever’s April 2022 performance review, Bever’s supervisor wrote that he met expectations in all categories except one. He was given "constructive feedback" about his interactions with the public and was awaiting retraining for de-escalation tactics and avoiding verbal confrontation.
Three citizen complaints were filed against Bever. A citizen said Bever failed to provide his name or badge number and made threats or harassed someone while responding to a call for service on Dec 13, 2021. A different citizen said Bever used rude or discourteous profanity on May 23, 2023. The department ruled all the complaints unfounded.
Bryant said officers are not allowed to swear. Some leeway may be given for curses in the heat of the moment, but officers are generally expected to remain professional, she said.
Officials react
"I don't think this is a reflection of the division as a whole, but when it's brought to our attention, we want to deal with it swiftly," Bryant said. "We want to make sure that we send that message that we will not accept this for our community."
Bryant said that means visiting police academy students and morning briefings to ensure good culture within the Division of Police and providing extensive training opportunities, especially in areas like use of force, to make sure officers are set up for success.
Several city officials sent statements to The Dispatch condemning the officers’ actions. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther commended Bryant for her “swift action” in Bever’s termination.
City Attorney Zach Klein also supported the officers' termination.
"The conduct of these individual officers is unacceptable, falls far short of the standard expected of any public servant, and tarnishes the great work being done every day by the members of the Division of Police."
Bryant recommended a 240-hour suspension or termination for both officers, but the final determination on officer firings lies with Pishotti. Pishotti said in a statement that what she saw in the video was incompatible with the Columbus Division of Police’s values.
“Our community deserves better, and that 14 year-old deserved better," Pishotti said.
Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said he stands with Bryant in her "quick investigation and decisive action." He called the actions in the footage “an outrageous use of force.”
"I’m angry how this one officer’s petty power trip calls into question the integrity and hard work of the entire Division," Hardin said.
Hardin added that he will send his regrets to the boys and their families.
“We are working to build a City where young Black boys like my son, Noah, or my nephew, Christian, can walk in their neighborhoods without being judged as a threat by the officers they trust to keep them safe," Hardin said.
bagallion@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Fired Columbus cop condemned for 'outrageous' arrest of Black teen
