Panel suggests AG’s office only handle police lethal use of force cases

A panel appointed by Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor to study ways to improve the grand jury system is recommending that the Ohio attorney general has exclusive authority to investigate cases involving police use of lethal force. That report came out yesterday. Other recommendations in the report address the secrecy of the grand jury and finding ways to raise education and awareness of the grand jury process.
O’Connor announced the task force in January to study ways to make the grand jury system better. Although enshrined in both the U.S. Constitution and Ohio Constitution, the grand jury system had drawn some scrutiny in the wake of some high-profile cases across the state, in the killings of Tamir Rice and John Crawford.