Columbus's second-highest-ranking police official left her department-issued firearm unattended in a public restroom on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the weapon sat there for anyone to find before Ohio State Highway Patrol officers recovered it. The gun belonged to First Assistant Chief LaShanna Potts, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant's second-in-command, and it was discovered inside the first-floor women's restroom of the Ohio Department of Public Safety's Charles D. Shipley Building on West Broad Street.
Patrol officers recovered the firearm at approximately 1:35 p.m. on Tuesday, according to a report from 10TV. The Columbus Division of Police confirmed that Potts left her division-issued gun in the bathroom and later came back to get it, as WOSU Public Media reported. 10TV reported that the Ohio State Highway Patrol identified Potts as the gun's owner and returned the weapon to the Columbus Division of Police.
What makes the episode especially alarming to officials is who could have stumbled onto the weapon first. The first floor of the Shipley Building, where the firearm was left, was accessible to anyone, the station's report notes. The building was not placed on lockdown, however, because the gun's owner was located, per the same account relayed through a report on Yahoo News.
Watchdog Office Opens a Formal Review
The Columbus Department of the Inspector General confirmed it received a complaint and has opened an investigation into the incident. The office was careful to note that opening an investigation does not amount to a finding or admission of wrongdoing, according to the same Yahoo News account. Investigators say they intend to determine whether the circumstances surrounding the recovery of the firearm involved a violation of Columbus Division of Police policy.
As of the report published Thursday, no findings of misconduct had been announced. The Columbus Division of Police has not said whether Potts currently faces discipline, and the investigation's ultimate findings remain unresolved.
What Department Policy Requires
Columbus Police Division Directive 2.03, which governs firearms regulations, states that on-duty sworn personnel are required to carry their authorized primary or alternate firearms in a concealed manner, according to the directive posted on Columbus.gov. Exceptions exist when an officer is in uniform, inside a police facility, or otherwise readily identifiable as an officer. The directive's text does not itself establish whether this incident constituted a violation.
Potts has held a prominent role in the department's leadership since Chief Bryant brought her into the Columbus Division of Police in 2021, when Bryant was hired as chief. The two previously served together in the Detroit Police Department before both arrived in Columbus. Potts was photographed speaking at a press conference in July 2025, underscoring her visible position within department leadership.
The incident, now referred to the Inspector General's office, adds a new layer of scrutiny to a high-ranking officer's conduct even as the city's watchdog agency stresses that its review is preliminary. For now, the central questions — how the firearm came to be left behind and whether any policy was broken — remain open, with the Inspector General's office continuing to examine the matter.
