(FOSTORIA, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Fostoria Police Chief Keith Loreno announced today that Fostoria has become the eighth community to join the "Ohio Attorney General's Office Safe Neighborhoods Initiative" in an effort to address violence caused by repeat violent offenders.
Attorney General DeWine launched the initiative in 2013 after a study commissioned as part of Ohio Attorney General DeWine's Violent Crimes with Guns Advisory Group found that, between 1974-2010, 57 percent of violent crime was committed by less than 1 percent of Ohio's population. The initiative assists local authorities in identifying the small percentage of individuals responsible for the most crime in their community, and "call-in" meetings are then held with those individuals as part of their probation or parole.
Fostoria's first meeting was held last month. In attendance were nearly two dozen offenders who were identified as being at risk for reoffending.
"These meetings are effective because we sit down with these individuals and let them know that law enforcement is watching them and their associates," said Attorney General DeWine. "We also inform them that local, state, and federal authorities are prepared to go after them with the full force of the law following one more violent crime."
“We feel this is a leap forward in reducing violent crime in our community. We want these individuals to know that we want them to stop having such negative impacts on their own lives and their families lives, but we also want them to know that the consequences of their actions go deeper than simple jail time," said Chief Loreno. "I applaud the Ohio Attorney General for bringing this program to our city."
At each meeting, offenders meet with law enforcement, religious leaders, and medical professionals who outline the consequences for continued acts of violence, such as lengthy prison terms and medical complications from gunshot wounds. The offenders also hear from those who have lost a loved one to violence.
The individuals called to attend each meeting are also given the opportunity to take part in job training and alcohol and drug rehabilitation, and other social services are offered to assist them in leaving the cycle of crime.
The strategies used in the initiative have been successful in separate programs across the country to produce drastic reductions in gun-related crime. In Cincinnati, a similar effort led to a 41 percent drop in gang homicides and a 22 percent decrease in other violent firearm incidents.
The "Attorney General's Office Safe Neighborhoods Initiative" is also in operation in Akron, Steubenville, Warren, Lima, Ashtabula, Hamilton, and Fremont.
In addition to the Attorney General's Office and Fostoria Police Department, the following agencies are taking part in the Fostoria initiative: Bethel Baptist Church, Firelands Counseling and Recovery Services, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, ProMedica Fostoria Community Hospital, Seneca County Prosecutor's Office, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
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Media Contacts:
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Jill Del Greco: 614-466-3840