CLEVELAND (WJW) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine joined Cleveland officials to give an update on the Cleveland Violent Crime Initiative on Tuesday.
The Cleveland Violent Crime Initiative is the state’s ongoing violence reduction partnership with the Cleveland Division of Police that Gov. DeWine announced last month. This is a statewide effort with several police agencies.
A press conference was held at the Cleveland Division of Police at 1:30 p.m.
According to DeWine during the press conference, over six days, 138 felony arrests were made as part of this initiative. Those arrests include:
- August 15-16: 52 felony arrests
- August 24-25: 42 felony arrests
- Sept 6-7: 44 felony arrests
Dozens of stolen cars were recovered and 63 guns and drugs were seized, according to DeWine.
“We are committed to continuing to work with the Cleveland Police Department,” DeWine said during the press conference. “We are very happy with the results, we think it’s been very, very productive.”
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb also spoke during the press conference to thank DeWine and other officials for the effort to reduce violent crime in the city.
“I think the results speak for themselves that this collaboration has been very effective,” Bibbs said.
Bibb said residents have also expressed that they have been thrilled to see more police presence to keep the city safe.
“While today we are praising the success of this partnership, we also need to recognize that we have a lot more work to do,” Bibbs said.
