CINCINNATI — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced two new partnerships between the state and the City of Cincinnati focused on preventing violent crime.
While the governor previously announced plans for the Ohio State Highway Patrol to assist with traffic enforcement in Cincinnati, freeing up local officers to address violent offenders, the newest plans allow state troopers and members of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Corrections to work alongside police in joint operations.
Watch the full press conference below:
The Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Force Team, DeWine said, will focus on the people currently wanted for violent crime as well as those who have served time and are now violating the terms of their post-release control. The governor said these operations focus on people who have committed arson, sexual assault, murder and more.
"Every city in this state has a relatively small number of violent criminals who cause 80-90% of the violence," DeWine said during the press conference. "These are the individuals that we are going after, and these are the individuals that we need to get off the street."
The state will also provide members of the Ohio Investigative Unit. This group focuses on enforcing alcohol laws, paying attention to liquor establishments in high-crime areas in the city.
"The average citizen who's going about their business will not notice any difference ... but our experience has been in every city that we have done this that we have some real, real results," DeWine said of the operations.
These moves are in addition to the state assistance DeWine and city leaders announced last month after a reported increase in violent crime this summer — including a violent fight in downtown Cincinnati that garnered national attention. The original safety plan included:
- OSHP assistance with traffic enforcement
- OSHP aerial support for police investigations
- Continued sharing of evidence and intelligence with the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center
We asked DeWine and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval how long the partnership would last. Both said they will work together as long as necessary to address the issue.
"It benefits everyone when all levels of government are aligned, and we are," Pureval said. "We take violent crime very seriously."
DeWine and Pureval also addressed questions about bonds and the role of the judges in preventing future crime. DeWine said when a judge decides on a bond, it has a direct impact on both the safety of the community and on future victims.
"I think the good thing for citizens to know, though, is in the Ohio Constitution today, it now says that when bond is being set, the safety of the public has to be taken into consideration," DeWine said. "That has been clarified. It is in the Constitution. The people put it there."
Pureval said his message to judges remains that Cincinnati is facing serious public safety challenges.
"It is a recurring message that I hear from our police officers that they feel frustrated," Pureval said. "They feel frustrated that they do all of this work, all of this investigative work, then the enforcement work, and then they unfortunately see the folks that they apprehend back on the street much sooner than they expect."
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said it's not only a question of whether judges are letting offenders off too easily, but it's also a self-reflection on whether law enforcement is doing everything they can.
"The only way the system is going to work, as it's supposed to work, is if law enforcement, prosecutors, judges all look at where the gaps are and commit to closing those gaps," Theetge said.
In a one-on-one with us after the press conference, DeWine told us he's seen this collaboration between local and state officials work in several others cities, including Cleveland, Dayton, Youngstown and others.
"This has worked in multiple cities in Ohio," DeWine said. "Look, it's no magic wand. We don't get rid of all the problems, but we can target some of those repeat violent offenders, and we can get rid of them ... it's just a win-win for everybody."
