Governor Mike DeWine Unveils New Crime Gun Intelligence Center in Columbus

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) joined state, local, and federal leaders in Columbus on Tuesday to unveil the new Central Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC).

According to the press release, the center is located within the Ohio Department of Public Safety and operates in partnership with the Columbus Division of Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

This new centralized law enforcement

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New Ohio School Bus Safety Task Force Holds First Meeting

A new state task force in Ohio focused on thoroughly evaluating the safety of the state’s school buses held its first meeting on Monday at the Ohio Department of Public Safety headquarters.

As previously reported by The Ohio Star Ohio Governor Mike DeWine formed the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group last month following a Northwestern Local School District bus crash that killed one student and injured more than two dozen in Clark County.

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Cuyahoga County GOP Applauds Governor DeWine for Taking Action to Curb Cleveland’s Crime Surge

The Cuyahoga County Republican Party applauded Governor Mike DeWine for taking decisive action to curb Cleveland’s crime surge as Democratic Mayor Justin Bibb “fails to protect the city.”

According to Cuyahoga County GOP Chairman Lisa Stickan, DeWine understands the importance of law and order in Cleveland and applauds him for sending state resources to assist the police department.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Pushes for $13 Million from State Budget for Narcotics Intelligence Center Expansion

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is pushing for $13 million of the state’s biennial operating budget to be used for the expansion of the statewide Narcotics Intelligence Center.

The Governor discussed the funding during the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center’s Law Enforcement Drug Summit on Thursday saying that this $13 million increase is pivotal as it better allows them to assist local law enforcement agencies across the state with handling drug-related violent crimes.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Authorizes Ohio State Highway Patrol to Assist with Texas Border Surveillance

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine authorized a contingent from the Ohio State Highway Patrol to assist local law enforcement in Texas with border surveillance.

The authorization by Governor DeWine came in response to a request for assistance from Texas Governor Greg Abbott in resolving the escalating border crisis, which has been marked by surging immigration rates and overburdened local law enforcement.

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Truck Carrying 40K Pounds of Toxic Soil From East Palestine Overturns Spilling in Columbiana County

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office said on Monday that a truck carrying toxic soil from the East Palestine train derailment overturned, spilling roughly half of its contents onto a roadway in Columbiana County.

The tractor-trailer had an open top and was hauling 40,000 pounds of contaminated soil away from the East Palestine derailment site.

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Ohio Senate Holds First Train Derailment Hearing on East Palestine Disaster

An Ohio Senate committee held its first hearing on the toxic train derailment in East Palestine. The Senate’s Special Committee on Rail Safety had a lot of questions for leaders of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency (OEMA).

On February 3rd, 50 train carriages, 10 of which were carrying hazardous materials, derailed as a result of a technical problem with a rail car axle, according to federal authorities. There was vinyl chloride in five of the vehicles. Hundreds of residents evacuated as a result of the controlled release of poisonous gasses that Norfolk Southern carried out on February 6th to stop an explosion.

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Northern Ohio Sees 145 Fugitives Arrested in U.S. Marshal Service Operation

A total of 145 fugitives have been apprehended in northeast Ohio as part of a U.S. Marshals effort to reduce violent crime. 

The U.S. Marshals Service said the arrests were part of the second phase of Operation North Star, which focused on the apprehension of the country’s most violent offenders. It brought a total of 830 total arrests nationally. They also seized 181 firearms and hundreds of pounds of drugs.

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Ohio Attorney General to Lead Investigation into Reporters Arrest at East Palestine Press Conference

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office will handle the case involving a TV journalist who the East Palestine Police Department arrested while he was documenting a railway wreck in East Palestine.

Columbiana County Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino confirmed on February 10th that Yost will be in charge of the investigation surrounding Evan Lambert’s arrest.

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Agents Seize Record Amount of Methamphetamine During Columbus Investigation

In what the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is describing as one of their biggest arrests in years, authorities recovered eight pounds of methamphetamine from a Columbus apartment and detained two people.

DEA agents in collaboration with officers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol raided the Columbus apartment on Wednesday. Inside, more meth was discovered than the DEA had ever found in a single arrest in Central Ohio. 

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Ohio Attorney General Says 22,000 Seized Fentanyl Pills Is Proof U.S. Needs a Stronger Southern Border

Approximately 22,000 fentanyl pills and nearly 42 pounds of suspected fentanyl seized in a drug bust by the Central Ohio Major Drug Interdiction/HIDTA Task Force is proof we need a stronger southern border according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

The task force, created under the state attorney general’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and led by the Columbus Police division intercepted the smuggling of the illegal drugs this week.

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Ohio Senate Passes Legislation to Transport Injured Police Dogs by Ambulance

A Republican-backed bill that will authorize emergency medical personnel to transport injured police dogs by ambulance heads to Governor Mike DeWine’s desk for signature.

House Bill (HB) 392 sponsored by state Representatives Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville) and Kevin Miller (R-Newark) expands the ability of a medical professional to allow for life-saving transportation of a K-9 to a veterinarian center for treatment. 

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Ohio Department of Natural Resources Spends $3.5 Million on Body Cameras for Wildlife Officers

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that natural resources and wildlife officers with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will now be outfitted with body cameras.

Officers of the ODNR must uphold all state legislation and laws within their areas of responsibility as certified peace officers. Last year DeWine ordered ODNR to begin outfitting its officers with body cameras. The agency used $3.5 million in funding from the Federal Coronavirus Relief Fund under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to buy the new cameras.

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Ohio State Highway Patrol Seizes 220 Pounds of Illegal Cocaine in Central Ohio

Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) Troopers seized 99,790.3 grams of cocaine at a traffic stop in Central Ohio which is enough to kill 15,352 people. According to The Recovery Village, a lethal dose of cocaine is about 6.5 grams.

Madison County troopers seized the lethal drugs during a traffic stop of a vehicle for a following too-close violation on Interstate 70. The OSHP says that when they stopped the U-Haul truck which had Arizona registration, they observed “criminal indicators” and a drug-sniffing k-9 detected possible contraband which warranted a probable cause search of the vehicle.

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Ohio Lawmaker: Bill to Expunge Violations and Return Fines to Businesses Gains Momentum

Ohio Statehouse of Representatives

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A bill drafted in the Ohio House of Representatives that would remove penalties enforced on businesses for COVID violations  may have a rallying point after two separate videos were sent to The Ohio Star – in them tipsters allege Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Stephanie McCloud and her husband are both spotted on separate occasions inside a Columbus area establishment where there appear to be violations of statewide COVID regulations.

According to information obtained from the Ohio Investigative Unit (OIU)– the officials who go undercover in bars and restaurants – the establishment where both McClouds are seen had not received a citation for violating COVID orders between March 2020 and March 2021. 

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Ohio Gov. DeWine Says the Capitol Will be Closed for Four Days Next Week for the Inauguration

Gov. Mike DeWine held a briefing Thursday morning where he announced the Ohio Statehouse and government buildings in Columbus will be closed between January 17 and January 20. Next Wednesday, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as president.

Also, the governor signed a proclamation mobilizing hundreds of Ohio National Guard members to be utilized as needed in Columbus and around Ohio. To assist federal authorities in D.C. DeWine, ordered 580 ONG members active earlier in the week.

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