Governor Mike DeWine




*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
August 18, 2022




*MEDIA CONTACTS:
*Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957
Eve Mueller: 614-644-0957






Governor DeWine Awards $8.5 Million to
Support Local Law Enforcement

(WILLARD, Ohio) ??Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that he is awarding $8.5 million to 21?local law enforcement agencies to help them strategically combat violence in their communities.?

Governor DeWine announced the seventh round of recipients to receive grant funds as part of his?Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program [ [link removed] ] while visiting Willard this afternoon. The Willard Police Department is receiving a grant of $393,097.78 to maintain its workforce and to attract and retain new officers with hiring and retention bonuses.?

?Many law enforcement agencies across Ohio are facing an increase in resignations and a decrease in new applicants to fill those vacant positions, which has a direct impact on the safety of their communities," said Governor DeWine. ?I am committed to supporting agencies that need help filling their ranks so that they can effectively protect their citizens and themselves."?

Since the launch of the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program in April, Governor DeWine has awarded $37.2 million to 119 Ohio law enforcement agencies to help them prevent and investigate violent crime through new and enhanced anti-violence programs and improved staffing levels. Governor DeWine will award approximately $100 million to local law enforcement agencies in total.

?This grant couldn?t have come at a better time,? said Willard Police Chief Shannon Chaffins. ?This will make a huge difference to an agency of our size in retaining our seasoned officers and attracting new candidates.?

Other agencies receiving grants as part of the seventh round of the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program include:?

The *Bexley Police Department* (Franklin County) will receive *$239,628.18* to upgrade its portable radios to eliminate dropped calls and improve communication with neighboring police departments.

The *Boardman Police Department* (Mahoning County) will receive *$628,358.56* to buy ballistic panels and shields, initiate more human trafficking investigations, link victims of crime to available services, and pay for overtime expenses.

The *Crawford County Prosecutor?s Office* will receive *$215,217.68* to hire a criminal investigator to assist local law enforcement agencies with case investigations.

The *Garfield Heights Police Department* (Cuyahoga County) will receive *$1,311,936.82* for advanced crime analysis and new technology to help identify repeat offenders and hotspots for crime.

The *Grove City Division of Police* (Franklin County) will receive *$421,200*?for technology to capture real-time data to better target problem areas in the city.

The *Groveport Police Department *(Franklin County) will receive *$69,219.46*?to deploy technology in high crime areas to more easily identify suspects responsible for acts of violence.

The *Orange Village Police Department* (Cuyahoga County) will receive *$239,689.39* to help gain leads using new technology to identify, apprehend, and prosecute criminal offenders.

The *Warren Police Department* (Trumbull County) will receive *$237,326* to upgrade the mobile forensic capabilities of its Criminal Intelligence Unit to reduce the time it takes to provide investigators with crucial digital evidence. The upgrade will also drastically decrease the number of mobile devices sent to outside agencies for analysis.

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Round 7 Map [ [link removed] ]________________________________________________________________________

In addition, the following entities will also each receive grants to pay for retention and/or hiring bonuses to help maintain current law enforcement staffing levels, recruit new officers, and continue ongoing public safety services to prevent and investigate violent crime.


* Allen County Sheriff's Office: $294,781.80
* Bethel Police Department (Clermont County): $111,556.36
* Crestline Police Department (Crawford County): $343,149.66
* Henry County Sheriff's Office: $194,985.25
* Kent State University Police Services (Portage County): $296,982.40
* Silver Lake Police Department (Summit County): $53,935.24
* South Euclid Police Department (Cuyahoga County): $382,430.34
* Strongsville Police Department (Cuyahoga County): $1,620,514.87
* Twinsburg Police Department (Summit County): $909,502.60
* Upper Arlington Division of Police (Franklin County): $393,366.04
* Willoughby Police Department (Lake County): $4,280
* Wilmington Police Department (Clinton County): $194,759.20
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*MORE: Previous Grant Recipients* [ [link removed] ]

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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 [ [link removed] ]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 [ [link removed] ], Ohio School Safety Center [ [link removed] ], Ohio Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment [ [link removed] ],?Ohio Office of First Responder Wellness [ [link removed] ],?Ohio Prisoner Extradition Reimbursement Program [ [link removed] ],?Ohio Body-Worn Camera Grant Program,? [ [link removed] ]Ohio Ballistics Testing Initiative [ [link removed] ], Ohio Crime Lab Efficiency Program, [ [link removed] ]? Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program [ [link removed] ],?Ohio Court Backlog Reduction Program [ [link removed] ], and the new eWarrant database [ [link removed] ].?

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