Governor DeWine Awards $5.7 Million
to Support Local Law Enforcement
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced that 16 local and state law enforcement agencies will receive a total of $5.7 million in grant funding to help prevent and solve instances of violent crime.
Governor DeWine is awarding the grant funds as part of the sixth round of the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program. As part of this program, the Governor has awarded $28.7 million to 99 Ohio law enforcement agencies to date. A total of $58 million will be awarded as part of the grant program overall.
“Law enforcement agencies have created innovative and strategic initiatives to prevent and disrupt crime across the state,” said Governor DeWine. “Each agency’s needs may be slightly different, but they share a common goal of creating safer communities, and my office is proud to support them.”
Agencies receiving grants to implement violent crime reduction strategies as part of this latest round of the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program include:
The Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) will receive $1,230,038.69 to create a violence reduction program to proactively prevent juveniles from absconding from DYS parole supervision and to quickly locate any youth who do violate the terms of their release. The new Community Intervention and Intelligence Unit will work to locate and reengage youth who have declined to abide by the terms of their parole and will engage youth to help prevent incidences of recidivism. The specialized unit will also focus on assisting local law enforcement with locating paroled DYS youth with active warrants.
The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office will receive $110,640.70 to purchase advanced technology that will allow the agency to access and extract digital evidence from cellular devices and other electronic equipment. The technology will aid the sheriff's office in the timely analysis of digital evidence to help them quickly solve cases and protect the community from potential repeat offenders.
In addition, the following entities will also each receive grants to pay for retention bonuses to help maintain current law enforcement staffing levels, recruit new officers, and continue ongoing public safety services to prevent and investigate violent crime.
- Bellefontaine Police Department (Logan County): $78,780.20
- Cincinnati Police Department (Hamilton County): $393,597.41
- Clark County Sheriff’s Office: $639,691
- East Liverpool Police Department (Columbiana County): $323,413.40
- Grandview Heights Police Department (Franklin County): $238,155.40
- Madison Township Police Department (Franklin County): $364,995.63
- Maple Heights Police Department (Cuyahoga County): $216,237
- Owensville Police Department (Clermont County): $88,812.72
- Perkins Township Police Department (Erie County): $268,857.79
- Perry Township Police Department (Franklin County): $109,396.50
- Salem Police Department (Columbiana County): $159,704
- Summit County Prosecutor’s Office: $764,982.74
- Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office: $495,151.79
- Wadsworth Police Department (Medina County): $237,956
Governor DeWine, in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly, created the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program last year to give local law enforcement additional tools to address violence, including increases in crime associated with law enforcement retirements and resignations.
The program is funded through both the state operating budget and with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that Governor DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly have dedicated to first responders to counter various pressing issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including violent crime. The grants announced today are all funded through ARPA.
The program is administered by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services within the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Other assistance for first responders developed by the DeWine-Husted Administration include the creation of the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio School Safety Center, Ohio Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment, Ohio Office of First Responder Wellness, Ohio Prisoner Extradition Reimbursement Program, Ohio Body-Worn Camera Grant Program, Ohio Ballistics Testing Initiative, Ohio Crime Lab Efficiency Program, Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program, Ohio Court Backlog Reduction Program, and the new eWarrant database.
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