During a visit to Springfield this week, Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) announced his authorization of nearly $4 million in grants to 16 police and sheriff departments across the Buckeye State.
The allotments come as the third round of DeWine’s Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program. Springfield’s police department itself is getting a grant of $305,206.94. Those funds will go toward video recording systems and automated license plate readers to gather intelligence pertaining to gun-related violations.
Cleveland’s Division of Police, the largest recipient institution of grants this week, is receiving $1,747,101.01. That money will be devoted to anti-youth-gang programs, improved ballistics technology, and expanded Violent Crime Reduction Teams that are rapidly deployed in response to urban acts of violence.
Another sizable amount, $633,966, will go to Whitehall Police Department in Franklin County to buy numerous dispatch consoles to facilitate communication among first responders.
Other agencies getting allocations in this round of the program include: Austintown Township Police Department, Beverly Police Department, Bratenahl Police Department, Cadiz Police Department, Coldwater Police Department, Gallia County Sheriff’s Office, Marietta Police Department, Mentor Police Department, Milton Township Police Department, Pomeroy Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Scioto County Sheriff’s Department, and Sebring Police Department.
“To keep our communities safe, it’s critical that our law enforcement agencies have the right tools to go after the small group of repeat offenders who illegally carry firearms with the sole intent of hurting people,” DeWine said in a statement. “By providing this support, we’re helping our peace officers proactively prevent violence, and we’re also helping law enforcement maintain the staffing levels they need to protect our communities.”
The governor said he has allotted $9.6 million to local law-enforcement departments so far and expects to distribute $58 million in crime-reduction grants in total.
Like many other states, Ohio has endured a major rise in violent crime over the last two years – in the suburbs as well as the cities. A survey conducted by 22 local police departments for the Franklin County Chiefs’ Association indicates that aggravated assault increased by 36 percent in that county between 2020 and 2021. Robbery meanwhile rose by 47 percent, rape increased by 13 percent, manslaughter rose by a third, and murder went up by six percent.
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Bradley Vasoli is managing editor of The Ohio Star. Follow Brad on Twitter at @BVasoli. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mike DeWine” by Mike DeWine.
