COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio residents will soon receive mobile emergency alerts when felony offenders escape from correctional facilities, under a new law signed by Gov. Mike DeWine.
DeWine signed House Bill 23 on Dec. 1, establishing the Escaped Convict Alert System. The legislation passed unanimously in both the House, in June, and the Senate, in October.
Under the law, law enforcement agencies will be able to issue regional alerts in the area surrounding a jail or prison when an inmate escapes. The alert will only be triggered if the individual has been convicted of, indicted for, or pleaded guilty to a felony offense. Escapes from community-based correctional facilities, such as halfway houses, are excluded from the system…