(HAMILTON, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that he is expanding the "Ohio Attorney General's Office Safe Neighborhoods Initiative" into the city of Hamilton in Butler County.
Attorney General DeWine made the announcement during a news conference this morning alongside Hamilton Police Chief J. Scott Scrimizzi, Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller, and Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser.
Attorney General DeWine launched the initiative, which is also underway in five other cities across the state, in an effort to assist communities in addressing violence caused by repeat violent offenders.
"The majority of the gun violence in Hamilton is due to feuds between small groups of individuals targeting each other, but the big concern is that innocent victims will be caught in the crossfire," said Attorney General DeWine. "Local authorities have been very aggressive in going after these suspects and protecting the community, and this new initiative will support their efforts by sending a very clear message that continued acts of violence in Hamilton will have severe state, local, and federal consequences."
The "Ohio Attorney General's Office Safe Neighborhoods Initiative" was developed 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.
In Hamilton, approximately 40 individuals have been identified as being behind the bulk of the violent crime. As part of the initiative, those individuals will attend a "call-in" meeting as part of their probation or parole and meet with local, state, and federal 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 will also hear from a victim of gun violence.
The individuals will also be given the opportunity to take part in job training and alcohol and drug rehabilitation. Other social services are offered to assist them in leaving the cycle of crime as well.
"The Hamilton Police Department is looking forward to its continuing partnership with Attorney General DeWine’s office to curb gun violence in the city," said Chief Scrimizzi. "Law enforcement can’t achieve the desired results without the commitment from the community and the assistance of social service agencies. The beauty of this program is that it brings all three groups together with a common goal of reducing gun violence."
The offenders are also advised, however, that any future acts of gun violence will result in swift action by state, local, and federal authorities.
"As a life-long resident of Hamilton and former felony assistant prosecutor, I welcome Ohio Attorney General DeWine's Safe Neighborhoods Initiative," said Mayor Moeller. "The aggressive, educational but still 'no nonsense' approach to crime recidivism makes sense. We have a great city, and this initiative makes Hamilton a safer city."
"At the heart of this initiative is community awareness and direct involvement," said Prosecutor Gmoser. "The eyes of law enforcement are looking to the community, its citizens and its offenders to solve this problem."
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 separate, 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, and Ashtabula where, so far, the individuals who have participated in the call-in meetings are not known to have committed additional acts of gun violence.
The initiative is part of an overall effort by Attorney General DeWine to combat gun crime involving violent career criminals. In April 2013, Attorney General DeWine and State Senator Jim Hughes (R-Columbus) announced the Violent Career Criminal Act, which, if signed into law, would increase the length of prison sentences for specific repeat violent offenders. The act is co-sponsored by Senator Frank LaRose (R-Copley).
In addition to the Ohio Attorney General's Office, the following agencies are taking part in the initiative: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Butler County Adult Probation, Butler County Prosecutor's Office, Butler County Sheriff's Office, City of Hamilton, Community Behavioral Health, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Hamilton Hospital, Front Street Church of God, Hamilton Police Department, Hamilton Probation Department, Kingdom Ministries House of Prayer, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service.
-30-
Media Contacts:
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Jill Del Greco: 614-466-3840