On the Job 

Law enforcement officers have often told me that they see many of the same people com­mit violent crimes time and time again. These offenders are almost always convicted felons who manage to get and then use guns.

Shortly after taking office, I formed the Ohio Attorney General’s Violent Crimes with Guns Advisory Group. I asked them to analyze data and offer guidance to law enforcement and the General Assembly about preventing gun crimes and keeping repeat offenders in prison.

We wanted to identify the greatest threat to Ohio’s families. Ohio State University researcher Dr. Deanna Wilkinson reviewed data from the Ohio Department of Rehabili­tation and Correction and confirmed what many of us had long suspected. She found that less than 1 percent of Ohio’s adult population – 0.91 percent – was responsible for more than half – 57 percent – of all of Ohio’s violent felony offenses.

This small group responsible for a dispropor­tionate number of crimes needs to be stopped from victimizing more Ohio families. Our approach has been two-fold.

In 2013, we launched “The Ohio Attorney General’s Safe Neighborhood Initiative.” In the communities where we’ve launched this initiative, the most violent criminals and gang leaders who are on parole or probation are ordered to appear for a “call-in” and urged by local law enforcement to either change their ways and seek help if they need it, or face severe penalties if they commit more violent crimes.

We are also taking aim at the most hardened group of repeat offenders who won’t respond to attempts at intervention. We worked with State Senators Jim Hughes (R-Columbus) and Frank LaRose (R-Copley) who recently introduced Senate Bill 97, the Violent Career Criminal Act. This legislation adds prison time for offenders with two or more violent felony convictions who commit another crime using a gun, and that’s what we wanted. There’s always room behind bars for those who would use a gun to threaten, injure, or even kill someone’s spouse, child, or family member.

Senate Bill 97 is a positive step forward in dealing with a very small group of violent felony offenders who are responsible for so much criminal activity. I’m grateful to Senators Hughes and LaRose for working with us to protect Ohio’s families.

Very respectfully yours,
Mike DeWine
Ohio Attorney General