Governor DeWine, Mayor Bibb Give Cleveland Violent Crime Reduction Initiative Update

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(CLEVELAND, Ohio)- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine joined state, local, and federal authorities this morning to discuss their ongoing partnership to reduce violent crime in Cleveland.

Announced in 2023 by Governor DeWine and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, the partnership includes the Cleveland Division of Police (CPD), Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Investigative Unit, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Justice, and others.

Since July 2023, the violent crime reduction initiatives have led to more than 1,400 felony arrests in Cleveland for serious crimes such as homicide and felonious assault. Authorities have also seized more than 1,000 illegally possessed firearms.

"These are data-driven, focused operations where we know the most violent offenders are committing the most crime in Cleveland," said Governor DeWine. "State, local, and federal officials are regularly surging into the areas where people are illegally carrying guns, firing them in the streets, and killing people."

"This partnership is a key example of what collaboration is all about," said Mayor Bibb. "I've often said public safety is a group project. The men and women of our police department can't do it alone. Federal law enforcement has played a critical role, state law enforcement has played a great role, as well as the county and the prosecutor."

New data from the Ohio Department of Public Safety (DPS) spanning 1974-2023 continues to find that a small number of individuals are responsible for most violent crimes and weapons violations each year.

According to DPS's Office of Criminal Justice Services, less than 1% of Ohio's adult population was arrested for a violent crime and/or weapons charge each year, and the large majority of arrests are of individuals who are repeat offenders. Of arrests for violent crimes, around 1/3 of adults arrested between 1974-2023 had been arrested five times or more. Approximately half of all arrests on weapons violations were of adults previously arrested five times or more.

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Chart showing 31% of adults arrested for violent crime between 1974-2023 had been arrested only once; 36% had been arrested 2-4 times; 33% had been arrested five times or more. Data source: Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services

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Chart showing 19% of adults arrested for weapons offenses between 1974-2023 had been arrested only once; 31% had been arrested 2-4 times; 50% had been arrested five times or more. Data source: Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services

In addition to Cleveland, similar violent crime reduction initiatives supported by state authorities have also taken place in Toledo, Lima, Mansfield, Akron, Canton, Youngstown, Dayton, Springfield, Columbus, and Zanesville.

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