Working to Support Those Who Protect and Serve all Ohioans

COLUMBUS – Every day across Ohio, the men and women of law enforcement protect and serve Ohio communities.

They handle everything from traffic stops to violent crimes.

What is unique to this profession though, and something that I experienced myself as a Cincinnati Police Officer, is the constant unknown. 

Officers do their best to anticipate the escalation, de-escalation or resolution to a call, but the only thing that is ever sure is their training and how they use it to return home safely. 

The unknown of it all can bear a damaging weight on the individuals protecting Ohio’s communities. That’s why I’m taking steps in the Ohio House of Representatives to bring more certainty to the field. As I reflected on National Police Week: 

Officers must be better protected while on duty. 

Americans are blessed to live in a free society where we are granted free speech, the right to protest and the right to assemble. Such freedoms are so important that it should be our civic duty to peacefully exercise them. 

However, communities have experienced increases in riots rather than peaceful protests, which have often led to violence and the need for assistance from law enforcement. Just in 2020, the Ohio Statehouse sustained damages that totaled over $158,000 in repairs during a riot downtown. 

House Bill 109, the Ohio Law and Order Act, not only increases penalties for crimes related to riots but creates the offense of bias motivated intimidation and allows an officer to bring a civil suit if they suffered harm during a riot to the individuals or organizations responsible. 

Officers must be better supported as they answer the call to serve. 

I’m making mental health a priority with House Bill 545. Under the bill, peer support received by first responders and law enforcement officers will be privileged. Exceptions will only be made in the case of clear and present danger or if consent is given by the patient or a patient’s family member.

The sentiment of security must extend to the time when an officer decides to enter retirement. 

This can be challenging and was made evident when the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Board voted to reduce the fund’s rate of return due to economic turbulence. Such a decision has major consequences: the fund is now facing a 43-year timeline, well outside the state mandated 30-year solvency window. 

Fortunately, legislative action is possible. My House Bill 512 is working to increase employer contributions to the fund, an addition that will work to re-stabilize the fund in conjunction with the steps the OP&F has already taken. 

We are also providing state support to local communities to improve safety and reduce crime. The state budget we passed last year included $15 million for law enforcement training, $10 million for body-worn cameras for law enforcement, $2 million for investigations on sexual assault testing results and related expenses, and $26 million to fight illegal drugs.

Late last year, we also approved $250 million for state and local initiatives to fight crime and support law enforcement and first responders.

While one week hardly seems like enough given everything police officers put on the line each day, I’m grateful for the designated time to reflect on their service. Admittedly, there is little anyone can do in return that measures up to the sacrifices of these individuals, but my efforts to support who I consider to be the backbone of our communities will never waiver.