Ohio State Highway Patrol to assist Cincinnati Police Department

The Buckeye State will provide support from the Ohio State Highway Patrol to assist the Cincinnati Police Department, a gubernatorial press release indicated on Wednesday. 

“Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge announced today that the state will provide additional manpower to support the Cincinnati Police Department,” the press release states.

The announcement comes in the wake of a vicious downtown beating in Cincinatti, Ohio last week that went viral online, shocking the nation. 

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“After listening to concerns from community members about recent instances of violence, local authorities have requested support from the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) to aid with traffic enforcement and provide aviation support,” the release states. 

“OSHP troopers will focus on traffic enforcement to free up local officers to respond to and investigate other crimes. OSHP’s Aviation Unit will focus on supporting local violent crime reduction initiatives, criminal suspect searches, and vehicle pursuit mitigation,” it continues.

DeWine, a Republican, has served as governor since early 2019.

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“Ohio essentially has a package of law enforcement support services the state can provide in times when local authorities could use some additional help,” he said, according to the press release. “We’ve done this in other cities, and it has made a big difference.”

DeWine is also offering other resources if the city needs them, the release indicated.

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“In addition to aviation support and traffic enforcement, Governor DeWine has also offered Cincinnati additional services should they be needed, including additional support from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and Ohio Department of Youth Services to locate adults and youth who are not following post-release control or parole conditions; evidence analysis and intelligence gathering by the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center; and targeted enforcement by the Ohio Investigative Unit on liquor establishments that are known for illegal sales, drug trafficking, and prostitution,” the press release states.