On the Job 

A detective who works to bridge the gap between children’s services and law enforcement was recognized with the first Special Courage Award during the awards ceremony of the 2017 Two Days in May Conference on Victim Assistance. 

Gina DeJesus, who was abducted and held captive with two other girls for more than nine years in Cleveland,  urged the attendees of the May 20 in Reynoldsburg for National Missing Children’s Day to be more observant and ask more questions about things they see going on around them.

Since the passage of House Bill 366 in 2014, hospice providers have been required to request that any opioids remaining after a patient’s treatment or death be turned over to hospice by the family for disposal. (The disposal occurs at the patient’s home and is witnessed.)

About 120 advocates gathered at the 2017 Two Days in May Conference on Victim Assistance to brainstorm about the crime of child abuse and ways to work together on new methods of prevention, intervention, and accountability.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) will soon be providing a new type of DNA collection kit to law enforcement agencies. The updated Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) kits, which are less bulky and use a preservative paper, will be mailed out as agencies request more DNA collection kits.

With foster care programs being innundated by an influx of children of addicts, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced a new pilot program to provide targeted treatment for troubled families in 18 counties.

The pipes and drums rendition of Amazing Grace at the 2017 Ohio Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony brought on tears for Andria Velez, 22, who attended the May 4 event to honor her father, Trooper Kenneth Velez of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

A new Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) laboratory in Springfield opened on May 23 to provide drug testing services for law enforcement agencies in Clark County and beyond.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) provides expert criminal investigative and laboratory services to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies upon request at no cost.

At the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, we are always looking for innovative ways to support law enforcement. We recently opened a training village at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) in London and a new laboratory in Springfield. These are two ventures designed to improve education and services, which, in turn, will help peace officers fight crime and return home safely after each shift.