CLEVELAND — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will visit Cleveland Monday for a discussion with local officials about partnerships aimed at reducing violent crime, the governor’s office announced.
DeWine will join Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Police Chief Annie Todd, and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley at the Cleveland Police District 3 headquarters at 10:30 a.m. Other local officials participating in the discussion include Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson, Special Agent in Charge John Smerglia of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Gregory Nelsen.
The conversation between the governor and the other state, local and federal officials will center around their ongoing partnerships to address violent crime.
BACKGROUND
Bibb and DeWine have worked together on violent crime prevention initiatives since the mayor outlined his Raising Investment in Safety for Everyone (RISE) Initiative in 2023. Amid a rise in homicides and car thefts that year, Ohio deployed state resources for a series of “surge initiatives” in what it called “known criminal hot spots” in the city. Those surge initiatives, which combine local resources with those of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other state and federal law enforcement agencies, led to hundreds of felony arrests that year…