Toddguy[/member] ,or Cleveland, which is is above 120 and less than half the population and a third of the land area of Columbus.  Any which way you slice it, it is a crappy stat to be #1 for either city!

 

Agreed!  I have watched, read and experienced part of this Heroin/Fetanyl epidemic as much as possible.  From all of that I've gathered that some believe it has reached it's peak.  Now how long that peak will last is still up for debate but I believe they said peak crack lasted for 2-5 years.  It seems as though meth lasted for about two years and then "disappeared."  My thoughts are these high numbers, particularly here in Central Ohio have peaked.  We will probably be high again next year depending on what kind of winter we have in 2018.

 

Is there data from the police department showing that x number of murders are heroin related? IMO, the opiate epidemic may play a role but I don't think that there would be some huge spike simply due to heroin use/trade. My two brothers were addicted to heroin; one is still on suboxone trying to wean himself off.

 

I think it's worth noting that heroin and crack (in reference to the crack epidemic of the early 90s) are entirely different drugs. I don't think heroin makes people nearly as violent as those on cocaine. Maybe the drug dealers are responsible for a lot of deaths but I just don't see a rise in heroin being solely or even mostly responsible for that. Records are broken all the time and like you said, compared to other cities, it isn't that bad. I didn't know Cleveland had so many murders. After living in both Columbus and Cleveland, I honestly don't think Cleveland feels any less safe. I emphasize 'feels,' because I understand it's completely anecdotal. 

 

It's interesting how this all panned-out with the opiate epidemic. If you want to know the truth about what caused this opiate epidemic and why it's still a problem... it started when painkillers flooded streets with the proliferation of all those pain clinics in Florida, where you could pay $150 cash and get hundreds of Percocet, Xanax or whatever the hell you tell the doctor you're 'used to getting' and need for whatever bs reason. State gov't cracked down, they opened up in other states like Pennsylvania where they could get away with operating 'pill mills' before those ultimately got shut down too. Pills like OxyContin were relatively very cheap and didn't even remotely carry the stigma of heroin. I'm only 31 but I heard that cocaine didn't carry much of a stigma either, in the 80s. A lot of people got hooked on pain meds and then it got a lot of media attention and the pain clinics were shut down. Around that time, OxyContin was also re-designed to where you couldn't abuse it by snorting or injecting it. Doctors everywhere also became paranoid about losing their license for giving out narcotics. Ever since, there has been a short supply and high demand. Enter heroin, which is much cheaper and easier to manufacture. With pills, you at least you know what you're getting and know the dosage. With heroin, God knows what you're injecting.

 

We need rehab centers to be more accessible, especially in small towns but a part of me thinks that maybe the best way to ultimately solve the 'opiate crisis' is to just make narcotic pills more easily accessible. It may seem counter-intuitive but overall might do less damage to families and communities. I don't think you're ever going to stop the illicit drug trade. The way I see it, if people are going to use, they're better off taking drugs manufactured in a regulated, FDA inspected facility. I don't expect anyone to agree with me but I've seen how heroin has torn my family apart and experienced this sh!t first hand myself.

^The opioid epidemic actually got its start in Portsmouth in the early '90s.

 

 

I went to college in Portsmouth, and one day in The Year 2000 I saw a Lotus park on the street and a guy with a mullet get out. It was the legendary Doctor Proctor that started the whole thing.

?'^ The mention of Portsmouth spurred my memory to this sad event, and now makes me wonder if it was drug related.

 

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (AP) - A former Ohio Associated Press Mr. Basketball was shot to death in what could have been a robbery, police said. The body of Emmanuel H. Smith, 23, was found in the parking lot of Mrs. Rennison's Donut Shop about 2:30 a.m. Friday. He had been shot in the forehead.

 

http://www.cleveland19.com/story/1479935/former-ohio-mr-basketball-killed-in-apparent-robbery

?'^ The mention of Portsmouth spurred my memory to this sad event, and now makes me wonder if it was drug related.

 

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (AP) - A former Ohio Associated Press Mr. Basketball was shot to death in what could have been a robbery, police said. The body of Emmanuel H. Smith, 23, was found in the parking lot of Mrs. Rennison's Donut Shop about 2:30 a.m. Friday. He had been shot in the forehead.

 

http://www.cleveland19.com/story/1479935/former-ohio-mr-basketball-killed-in-apparent-robbery

 

US 23/33 are known drug highways, without question it was drug related.  My hometown of Wheeling, WV has been plagued with a drug problem for nearly two decades and nearly every drug related arrest or shooting has ties to Cleveland.  Here is another example of a former star high school athlete from Cleveland that was caught in that area:

 

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/2013/07/former_ohio_state_buckeyes_rec_1.html

 

"At the time, it was known that Small was facing drug charges in Meigs County, Ohio."

 

"Authorities said the grand jury indictments stemmed from an April search of Small’s Columbus apartment that yielded heroin and oxycodone, as well as a semi-automatic handgun and assault rifle."

 

?'^ The mention of Portsmouth spurred my memory to this sad event, and now makes me wonder if it was drug related.

 

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (AP) - A former Ohio Associated Press Mr. Basketball was shot to death in what could have been a robbery, police said. The body of Emmanuel H. Smith, 23, was found in the parking lot of Mrs. Rennison's Donut Shop about 2:30 a.m. Friday. He had been shot in the forehead.

 

http://www.cleveland19.com/story/1479935/former-ohio-mr-basketball-killed-in-apparent-robbery

 

When I lived on the Far East Side of Columbus, around the corner from me there was another shooting related to the shooting in the article a couple years later. So what happens in Portsmouth does not stay in Portsmouth.

Well with three killings yesterday the city is up to 129 murders. I hope we don't break the 1991 record of 139. I really think this has much to do with drug trafficking and the Opioid epidemic which I hope has peaked(as was discussed above). And yes I also remember how the 'pill mills' were centered in Portsmouth and the surrounding area down there. That Dr. Procter was filth!

Homicide record broken with a few days left in 2017:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20171226/columbus-breaks-homicide-record-with-140-lives-cut-short-so-far-this-year

The record was broken from what, a peak during 1991? Columbus has grown astronomically since then.

 

Also, I wonder if they consistently use the legal definition of homicide which includes crimes where there is no criminal intent or have these been strictly intentional murders?

^ Yes, to the first question:  From the previous page at https://www.urbanohio.com/forum/index.php/topic,7428.msg879943.html#msg879943

 

Most in 25 years now:  http://www.dispatch.com/news/20171107/city-homicides-reach-highest-level-in-25-years

 

The city reached 113 this week, which matches the homicide total for 1992.  In the article, it is noted that the highest ever homicide total for Columbus was 139 in 1991.

 

As has been noted - the current opioid epidemic has alot to do with the current jump in murders.  The previous highs in 1991 and 1992 coincided with the peak crack epidemic years in Columbus.  And those 1991-92 homicide numbers of 113 & 139 came when the Columbus population was "only" about 632,000.  The city's 2016 population is estimated at 860,090.  So on a per capita basis those early 90's numbers were even worse then this year's (even as bad as this year's are).

 

Also from the today's posted article, "the murder rate in Columbus was higher in 1991 with 21 people per 100,000 killed. The city’s population has since grown by about a third to 860,090, according to census data. So far, the rate this year is 16 people killed per 100,000." -- http://www.dispatch.com/news/20171226/columbus-breaks-homicide-record-with-140-lives-cut-short-so-far-this-year

 

---

As to the second question, I have no reason to believe that Columbus isn't consistently using the legal definition of homicide (which is the deliberate and unlawful killing of one person by another; aka murder) to compare these numbers with previous years.

No, I mean I was under the impression that a homicide is any death caused by another person, whether there is criminal intent or not (vehicular homicide, for example.) Whatever the case. I'm pretty sure there's a difference between things like negligence and murder. If that's the case, you should expect homicides to rise without an increase in 'murder' - which means Columbus has even less 'murders' than some might think.

2017 ended with a record total number of 143 homicides:  http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180102/drugs-gangs-fuel-record-columbus-homicide-numbers

 

---

Some information from that Dispatch article to ponder:

 

-- The homicide surge flows from three problems: the opioid epidemic, access to guns, and gang violence.  Said one prominent defense attorney, "They are drug-related, both the theft of drugs and getting money to buy drugs.”

 

-- There has been a concentration of killings in the Hilltop neighborhood on the west side, the South Side in general, and the Linden neighborhood to the northeast.

 

-- 111 of the victims were black.  The median age of the victims was 29, and all but of 10 were males.  119 of the victims were shot to death.

 

-- Columbus had 1,441 police officers in 1991 (the previous record homicide year).  With a 1991 population of 663,000, that was 2.2 officers per 1,000 residents.  In response to the 1991 slayings, then-Mayor Greg Lashutka increased foot patrols in neighborhoods and announced the city would hire 360 officers over next few years.  By 2000, the city had nearly 2.5 officers per 1,000 residents.

 

-- Today, the city has 1,918 police officers.  With a 2016 population of 860,100, that’s about 2.3 officers per 1,000.

 

-- Nationally, cities such as New York, Chicago and Detroit had some of the highest staffing levels at about 4 officers per 1,000 people.  Baltimore, which had more than 300 homicides this year, has 4.7 officers per 1,000 people.  The next two most populous Ohio cities of Cleveland and Cincinnati had 3.9 and 3.3.

 

-- Indianapolis, Austin, and Nashville - cities Columbus often is compared with - each had about 2 officers per 1,000.  Indianapolis, which also broke its own homicide record in 2017 (152 deaths as of Dec. 26) has plans to hire an additional 150 police officers.

Here's a map included from that Dispatch article showing the number of homicides by police precinct:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180102/drugs-gangs-fuel-record-columbus-homicide-numbers

 

City Cracks Down on Crime-Ridden Carryouts and Drug Houses

By Walker Evans, Columbus Underground

Posted: March 11, 2018 - 12:08 pm

 

On Friday morning, the City of Columbus closed down the Family Market carryout at 924 East Long Street, citing a long list of complaints and illegal activities.  According to the office of City Attorney Zach Klein, the business was home to drug trafficking activity as well as police reports of assault, burglary, fighting, public intoxication, car theft and underage sales of alcohol, cigarettes and lottery tickets.

( . . . )

The move by the City Attorney’s office is the latest in a series of crackdowns on problematic properties throughout the city.  Klein’s office announced in February the shuttering of A to Z Market at 1015 East Hudson, as well as a “drug house” at 2755 Pontiac Avenue, both located in Linden.  Another residential property was shuttered earlier in March at 424 South Harris Avenue on the city’s West Side.

 

MORE: https://www.columbusunderground.com/city-cracks-down-on-crime-ridden-carryouts-and-drug-houses-we1

City Announces Proposals to Bridge Gap Between Federal and State Gun Laws

By Lauren Sega, Columbus Underground

Posted: March 21, 2018 - 12:49 pm

 

The City of Columbus is taking local action to reduce gun violence, announcing today several ordinances that would bridge the gaps between federal and state gun laws.  The proposed ordinances, announced on Wednesday, March 21 by Mayor Andrew Ginther, City Council President Shannon Hardin, and City Attorney Zach Klein, would specifically target perpetrators of domestic violence as well as commercial areas where felony crimes are regularly committed.

( . . . )

Should the ordinances be enacted, anyone who has been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence (including intimate partner violence), currently is the subject of a protection order, or was previously convicted of or under indictment for a felony, will be prohibited from owning, possessing, and carrying a firearm.  If an individual violates the ordinance, it carries a mandatory minimum sentencing of six months of jail time.

 

MORE: https://www.columbusunderground.com/city-announces-proposals-to-bridge-gap-between-federal-and-state-gun-laws-ls1

Here's a map included from that Dispatch article showing the number of homicides by police precinct:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180102/drugs-gangs-fuel-record-columbus-homicide-numbers

 

 

Someone at the Dispatch graphics department should have had way more sense in their head than to make this map using these particular colors. Really thoughtless and careless, I'll be making my voice known to them as a subscriber about this

Damn the city is up to 37 homicides. I hope things don't heat up with the warmer weather. If we can stay at this rate for the rest of the year we will be back within our "normal" 95-110. I wonder what the number was at this time last year?

 

*On May 9th of last year we were at 48, so we are doing a bit better this year than last so far.

Damn the city is up to 37 homicides. I hope things don't heat up with the warmer weather. If we can stay at this rate for the rest of the year we will be back within our "normal" 95-110. I wonder what the number was at this time last year?

 

*On May 9th of last year we were at 48, so we are doing a bit better this year than last so far.

 

A similar 1-year spike occurred in 1991 during that drug epidemic, followed by a much lower year in 1992.  Personally, I hated the hype over last year.  Even with slightly higher totals than 1991, the murder rate by population was much lower, so last year was significantly safer than the previous total peak.  Guess that didn't make for good headlines, though.  Nor did the fact that all other violent crimes were actually down last year vs. 2016.  The murder total was specific and directly tied to the opioid crisis.

I think 1992 was the year of "Operation Ace" which was a series of aggressive drug raids. It looked good on TV but statistical analysis has shown that a bunch of raids don't actually lower crime but do use up manpower.

^^ Yes, yes, and yes.  It is the drug trade and the wars that go with it. Crack then, Opioids now. Thankfully I really have not needed any Opioids much*knocks wood*, and hate them too because they cause me to itch like CRAZY and completely and totally "lock me up"...sorry for TMI lol.

Sort of an offtopic question, but what is crime like in the short north area?

 

I'm only asking, because I have a job offer in columbus, and I am contemplating moving from cincy to columbus. I was there earlier in the summer (for the first time) with friends. We went bar hopping, and the area felt lively and generally safe. There is alot of pedestrian traffic, even at night, so it seems somewhat difficult to get mugged/random beatings....that said, when our car got towed, we had to walk from odd fellows all the way to the udf by the osu campus (north high I believe?) to use an atm to retrieve cash to pay for the tow. Again, we were in a group, but generally speaking it felt safe. It was a saturday night, and there were enough pedestrians walking even at 3am where it didn't feel scary.

 

That said, when we returned to the towing area, the guy from the towing company was relived to see us. He told how there were gun shots in the area, and how the short north/high north area was incredibly dangerous, and how he always had a revolver concealed in his pocket for safety. He shouted, "thank god you guys are safe".

 

I sort of assumed he was the old jaded guy that watches too much news.....That said, I've heard quite a few stories about the homeless population that hang around the kroger area of short north (I guess high north?). I saw a reddit post from a few days ago, about how this guy was outside this cafe, at noon, smoking a cigarette, and an old drunk homeless man proceeded to beat him because the guy said no to giving him a cigarette. He called the police, and the police that it was his fault for hanging around in a dangerous neighborhood....

 

I also saw past articles (like the story in april) from this student who was stabbed by a homeless person, as well as the women who lived on short north who was kidnapped, raped and murdered and had her body thrown away into a park in the short north area. I've been told that for whatever reason the homeless in this particular area are extremely aggressive at times...and this sort of worries me.

 

I have a girlfriend as well, who is pregnant, and from what I've heard from those who live in the short north area is that it's not an area that is 100% safe to walk alone at the dead of night, and even more so if you are a women. I'm just concerned if she chooses to work somewhere nearby in the short north area, or even just want to take the dog for a walk if this won't lead to potential trouble.

 

Just looking for unbiased input! Again, I'm totally aware of the realities of living in an urban environment. Homeless people, drug addicts, drunks, etc are the realities of characters you will see when living in an urban environment. My main concern are the stories that I hear about how aggressive some of these homeless are, and how much of a nuisance they create because of there said aggression and leniency towards violence.

 

 

I understand that the short north has undergone serious gentrification during the past 20-25 years, and that's its light years safer than what it once used to be. There are a lot of bars, clubs, restaurants, and osu and it's massive student body population is only a mile or 2 up the road. Usually, crime typically disperses into other neighborhoods when an area gentrifies. Rent goes up, low income housing disappears, drug dealers disappear because there are to many pedestrians on the street, etc, etc...that's why it made me curious as to where this crime is rooting from. With so much progress and gentrification, how can there still be a sense of uneasiness about this area?

I don't know about that uneasiness mess (unless you're also scared to go to Kenwood or Easton) but the Short North is generally one of the safest, vibrant areas of Columbus.  Sure, back-alley crime can happen anywhere and is more likely to happen between 5th and South Campus Gateway but overall, the Short North might as well be Disneyland for yuppies.  You have nothing to fear.

I lived across the street from Kroger for a couple years. Yes the area between south campus gateway and fifth avenue is a tiny bit shadier than other parts of high street, but I never had an issue in the time I lived there. I just walked with my headphones in and my music off so no one would ask me for money and I still had my wits about me. I would walk home from OSU at two in the morning no problem.

 

 

That said, when we returned to the towing area, the guy from the towing company was relived to see us. He told how there were gun shots in the area, and how the short north/high north area was incredibly dangerous, and how he always had a revolver concealed in his pocket for safety. He shouted, "thank god you guys are safe".

 

 

 

I bet that tow truck driver lives in Obetz or something

I rented in the Short North back in 2007-2009, near the 5th Street intersection even. I never had a safety problem other than my jeep being broken into but it was a soft top and an easy target. Never felt unsafe. There were some shady-like neighborhoods nearby, but High Street was always a safe place to be. It no doubt is way safer now than back then (and it wasn't unsafe then). I think there are some lingering thoughts of it being an unsafe neighborhood by the older Columbusites because way back in the day, it was an unsafe place, but those days are far gone. I would not have any concerns if I were you. I live in CLE now but am moving back to Cbus within a month and would be more than happy to live in Short North again, great place to live. The quintessential revived urban living environment, in my opinion.

 

 

That said, when we returned to the towing area, the guy from the towing company was relived to see us. He told how there were gun shots in the area, and how the short north/high north area was incredibly dangerous, and how he always had a revolver concealed in his pocket for safety. He shouted, "thank god you guys are safe".

 

 

 

I bet that tow truck driver lives in Obetz or something

 

Or remembers it from the last time he paid a hooker for some cocaine back in 1985. 

I lived next to the Goody Boy in 2001, Cleveland Ave and Morse in 2000, Sawmill road for a time, Hamilton Rd area, North high street just past Lane, Gahanna, and Grandview.  In 2001 I think things were worse, on that block maybe, and I did get stuck up (allegedly by a gun, but pretty sure it was the guy's hand) on High Street right in front of my apartment.  Also had the police helicopter shine it's spotlight on my apartment for ~5m after I saw cops chasing someone through the parking lot (I was just standing on the balcony watching).  A number of interesting characters constantly hung around.  The music shop across the street got robbed and 2 undercover cops chased the guy through the alley nearby and had a gunfight.  It probably had the most excitement out of any of the places I lived - in any city I've lived.

 

I will say, even after the stuff that happened around Goody Boy, I never felt scared to be out and about.

I live in the Victorian Village side of the Short North. It's safe I've never heard of anything bad happening here aside from car break ins which is common around the country. There are randomly some weird meth-y looking hillbilly types that come through that have a threatening vibe, but it's mostly a safe quiet neighborhood. High Street itself on the Short North is too busy with pedestrians for anything to happen. As others have mentioned there's that weird stretch between King and University Gateway, but I think with all the new developments going up there will be enough eyes on the street to keep that area in line.

This is probably not the right thread for this, and isn't a direct response to troeros[/member]'s concerns but I've generally found that people from Cincinnati and Cleveland are much more preoccupied with crime, real or perceived, than anyone I've ever met from Columbus and I'm not sure why

This is probably not the right thread for this, and isn't a direct response to troeros[/member]'s concerns but I've generally found that people from Cincinnati and Cleveland are much more preoccupied with crime, real or perceived, than anyone I've ever met from Columbus and I'm not sure why

 

I'm not necessarily sure why...I know in my particular case, I've been mugged before, and have in very shady situations that have almost cost my life. I love urban environments, and I love living in the city, that said I understand the appeal of the suburbs since you aren't faceed with encounters such as these that are more common in urban environments.

 

American cities (except for a minor few that I've traveled to) for those most part are much more dangerous than Canadian/European cities. Generational poverty, as well as the heroin epidemic, on top of guns being available like candy (which end up in the hands of drug dealers/homeless people who use these very guns to mug pedestrians) makes american cities much more difficult to traverse, especially if you like to hang out at bars/clubs late at night.

 

I lived in Vienna for a semester as part of the student exchange program when I went to uc...The ability to traverse any street/alleyway through out any part of the city at any time of the night felt so damn liberating. Never did I once, encounter a shady situation. I miss that feeling, and I wish I could feel the same when I travel to any american city, but I can't.

 

I always carry pepper spray, and a foldable knife in my pocket for protection when im out late at night, and I wish that didn't have to be the case. But such is life.

^Hmm...I will mention your feelings to my friends who had their rental car stolen in Dublin, were pickpocketed on the subway in Paris and those who were  mugged by knife point in a train station in Rome (all different friends...all in the last ten years).  I never had a problem in Europe but was told to keep my money in a pouch around my neck and under my shirt (I keep it in my back pocket in the US) and warned in Barcelona on numerous occasions to keep my video camera strapped to my body.  Sorry but crime is every where and I personally don't stress out about it.  Maybe I would feel different if I was robbed some day.

 

By the way, I agree this discussion is way off topic.  As a Clevelander I love Short North.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20181012/homicide-rate-down-in-2018-but-detectives-mission-remains-same

 

So far this year, there have been 17 percent fewer homicides in Columbus versus the record-breaking number in 2017:

• As of 10/10, there have been 83 homicides versus 99 homicides through Oct. 10 in 2017
• At the current rate, Columbus would have an estimated 106 homicides by this year’s end versus the record-high 143 homicides in 2017

The city had relatively very high murder numbers in November and December last year, when traditionally murders are lower in colder months. There’s no guarantee of that and the total could easily end up below 100.  

Edited October 16, 20186 yr by jonoh81

Columbus has 100 homicides as of yesterday.

 

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20181218/man-found-shot-to-death-on-northeast-side

 

Much better than last year and on line with what the city has had for the last ten years or so (between 100-110 homicides). Last year had 143, so a big improvement(hopefully there is no explosion in murders in the next two weeks or so.)

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20181224/for-first-time-next-columbus-police-chief-could-come-from-outside-division

 

The current Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs announced that her last day on the job will be Feb. 8 -- after a nearly seven-year run leading the Columbus Division of Police.  Columbus’ charter gives the police and fire chiefs up to two five-year terms in office, during which they cannot be fired without cause after the first year of the five-year term.  Jacobs is in her second five-year term, but she never intended to finish it.  She is part of the Deferred Retirement Option Program, which allows public workers to defer pensions for up to eight years to remain on the job longer.  Her window closes in February.

 

An interim chief will oversee the department while the city works with a consultant to conduct a search for the new chief.  Jacob's retirement will touch off the first national search in the division's history, who Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said will need to be a “change agent” for the division.  This national search could led to the city’s first police chief hire from outside its existing ranks.  Mayor Ginther said the search will not have a deadline, and it will allow residents to weigh in on the hire.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190101/after-record-breaking-year-in-2017-homicide-rate-drops-28-percent-in-2018

 

Columbus ended 2018 with 103 homicides - much more in line with the historical homicide level for the city and 28 percent less than the record-high level of 2017:

 

Homicide levels for the past four years:

2018:  103

2017:  143

2016:  106

2015:    99

20 hours ago, Columbo said:

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190101/after-record-breaking-year-in-2017-homicide-rate-drops-28-percent-in-2018

 

Columbus ended 2018 with 103 homicides - much more in line with the historical homicide level for the city and 28 percent less than the record-high level of 2017:

 

Homicide levels for the past four years:

2018:  103

2017:  143

2016:  106

2015:    99

I prefer rates to totals when it comes to crime, because population change means a place can be getting safer or more dangerous even if totals aren’t changing.  Murder in Columbus is one of the few crimes in the city not near historic lows for rate.  It’s been hovering in the 10-13 per 100k range for several years.   2018 was about 11.6.   BTW, 2017 was not the highest rate.  1991 still easily beats it.  

This is terrible. Didn't we have someone in here who had an intenet cafe up in Columbus?

 

https://local12.com/news/nation-world/2-ohio-internet-cafe-employees-fatally-shot-in-armed-robbery?fbclid=IwAR04zj6Xf1DonihDkqgABKm53Z4c9UluW1BiJ4eXyZPm23V0KjV6pZIHUQM

^ I don't know why they keep referring to this as an "internet cafe" - it gives the place too much legitimacy.  It was one of those sketchy "gaming spots" that run casino-type games over the internet 24/7.  It must've made some money because it got robbed at 4am, and two employees got shot.

 

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/police-identify-victims-of-east-side-double-homicide/1712103264

 

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190122/ginther-names-deputy-chief-tom-quinlan-as-interim-columbus-police-chief-pending-national-search

 

A 29-year Columbus Division of Police veteran who oversees the north patrol subdivision will become interim chief as the city conducts a national search for a permanent replacement for Chief Kim Jacobs when she retires in February.  Mayor Andrew J. Ginther announced Tuesday that he will appoint Deputy Chief Tom Quinlan to the interim post.

 

Jacobs, 61, was hired in 2012 under then-Mayor Michael B. Coleman as the division’s first female chief, and Ginther asked her to stay on for a second five-year term after he was elected mayor.  Quinlan, 52, was hired into the division’s training academy in 1989, eventually rising to the deputy chief position in September 2013.  He has worked in the division’s training bureau and helped make changes to the division’s recruitment division last year, after Ginther called on the city’s public-safety forces to double their level of diversity within 10 years.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190124/seven-more-patients-identified-in-mount-carmel-death-investigation

 

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/mount-carmel-investigation-number-of-patients-raised-to-34-affected-by-dr-husels-actions/1722967013

 

Broadening investigation into possible "angel of mercy" deaths at Mount Carmel West hospital in Columbus.  It appears that one doctor (Dr. William Husel) at Mount Carmel West was giving excessive doses of painkillers to near-death hospital patients from 2015 until he was removed from providing patient care on Nov. 21, 2018.

Columbus Division of Police abolishes Vice Unit:  https://www.nbc4i.com/1861878926

 

Two high profile cases preceded the CPD's internal review into its vice unit.  One was the arrest of Stormy Daniels last summer by undercover vice officers while she was appearing at a Columbus strip club.  The second, and much more serious, was Columbus Police Vice officer Andrew Mitchell shooting a prostitute last year (who later died) during an alleged arrest.  It was later determined that Vice officer Mitchell had been threatening multiple prostitutes with arrest if they didn't perform sex acts on him.

 

Vice officer Mitchell was indicted by the Justice Department on seven federal charges and arrested and charged last week with deprivation of civil rights under the color of law and of kidnapping and sexually assaulting multiple victims under the guise of an arrest.  Mitchell also faces charges of witness tampering and making false statements to federal agents.  More about this at https://radio.wosu.org/post/vice-officer-andrew-mitchell-resigns-columbus-police#stream/0

Ah so they...abolished (v)ice? (I'll show myself out)

On 3/20/2019 at 3:59 PM, Columbo said:

Columbus Division of Police abolishes Vice Unit:  https://www.nbc4i.com/1861878926

 

Two high profile cases preceded the CPD's internal review into its vice unit.  One was the arrest of Stormy Daniels last summer by undercover vice officers while she was appearing at a Columbus strip club.  The second, and much more serious, was Columbus Police Vice officer Andrew Mitchell shooting a prostitute last year (who later died) during an alleged arrest.  It was later determined that Vice officer Mitchell had been threatening multiple prostitutes with arrest if they didn't perform sex acts on him.

 

Vice officer Mitchell was indicted by the Justice Department on seven federal charges and arrested and charged last week with deprivation of civil rights under the color of law and of kidnapping and sexually assaulting multiple victims under the guise of an arrest.  Mitchell also faces charges of witness tampering and making false statements to federal agents.  More about this at https://radio.wosu.org/post/vice-officer-andrew-mitchell-resigns-columbus-police#stream/0

 

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190404/grand-jury-indicts-former-columbus-vice-officer-andrew-mitchell-on-murder-charge

 

In addition to the Federal charges against former vice officer Andrew Mitchell, he also will be facing local murder and voluntary manslaughter charges after a Franklin County grand jury indicted him today in the August 2018 shooting death of Donna Castleberry.  Castleberry, 23, was shot and killed while Mitchell was working undercover for the now-disbanded CPD Vice unit.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190403/missing-womans-body-found-in-her-car-in-columbus-police-impound-lot

 

This is an odd story of a 61-year-old woman who was reported missing from the Near East Side on March 10 and then found dead inside her car in the Columbus Police Division Impound Lot on the city’s South Side earlier this week.  There's lots of details yet to be known in this story, namely:

• how the woman died (there were no signs of trauma and no visible signs of foul play)
• whether the woman died in the car before it was towed or at the impound lot
• why did the tow truck driver or the impound lot personnel not notice the woman in the vehicle's back seat when the vehicle was impounded(!)

Impound lot personnel only discovered the woman's body in the vehicle's back seat after a detective with the CPD missing persons unit learned on Monday that the woman's vehicle was in the impound lot and asked personnel to check the vehicle.  The results of toxicology tests — which could help determine the cause of death — are pending and usually take weeks.

 

Additional info (and full article viewability) at https://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20190403/missing-womans-body-found-in-her-car-in-columbus-police-impound-lot

On 1/24/2019 at 2:46 PM, Columbo said:

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190124/seven-more-patients-identified-in-mount-carmel-death-investigation

 

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/mount-carmel-investigation-number-of-patients-raised-to-34-affected-by-dr-husels-actions/1722967013

 

Broadening investigation into possible "angel of mercy" deaths at Mount Carmel West hospital in Columbus.  It appears that one doctor (Dr. William Husel) at Mount Carmel West was giving excessive doses of painkillers to near-death hospital patients from 2015 until he was removed from providing patient care on Nov. 21, 2018.

 

UPDATE:

 

Husel charged with murder in 25 Mount Carmel deaths

 

Former Mount Carmel doctor William Husel was charged Wednesday in the deaths of 25 patients in one of the biggest murder cases in state history.  Husel turned himself in to Columbus police this morning after a six-month criminal investigation concluded that he purposely caused the deaths of dozens of patients by ordering excessive doses of painkillers over a four-year-period.  A Franklin County grand jury indicted Husel on 25 counts of murder, and the charges were filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday morning.  Husel was arrainged at 1:30 p.m. and his bond was set at $1 million.

 

Mount Carmel health system officials have said Husel ordered excessive doses of painkillers for 35 patients, though they said they do not believe six of those patients died because of the drugs.  All but one of those patients were at the former Mount Carmel West hospital.  One patient was at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s hospital in Westerville.  The criminal charges involve the 25 victims given at least 500 micrograms of the opioid fentanyl, a level which O’Brien said was potentially lethal.  “At the 500 microgram level there would be no legitimate medical purpose,” said Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien. “The only purpose would be to hasten their deaths.”

 

O’Brien said none of the 35 nurses and pharmacists placed on administrative leave by Mount Carmel will be criminally charged.  O’Brien said his office treated them as witnesses. ... Sources have told The Dispatch that no other hospital employee is currently under criminal investigation.  State boards that oversee pharmacists, nurses and doctors are still investigating the actions of the 30 nurses and pharmacists, along with five managers, that have been placed on administrative leave by the hospital.  O’Brien said several of those employees could lose their licenses. ... Husel still faces 19 pending wrongful-death lawsuits filed by families of patients who died.  At least 8 lawsuits have been settled.

 

MORE:  https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190605/husel-charged-with-murder-in-25-mount-carmel-deaths

On 1/24/2019 at 2:46 PM, Columbo said:

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190124/seven-more-patients-identified-in-mount-carmel-death-investigation

 

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/mount-carmel-investigation-number-of-patients-raised-to-34-affected-by-dr-husels-actions/1722967013

 

Broadening investigation into possible "angel of mercy" deaths at Mount Carmel West hospital in Columbus.  It appears that one doctor (Dr. William Husel) at Mount Carmel West was giving excessive doses of painkillers to near-death hospital patients from 2015 until he was removed from providing patient care on Nov. 21, 2018.

 

UPDATE:

 

This isn't part of the criminal prosecution of former Mount Carmel doctor William Husel - but two top executives (including the President/CEO) will leave their posts at the Mount Carmel Health System and 23 employees are being fired after an investigation into Dr. Husel, who is accused of ordering excessive and potentially fatal doses of painkillers for ICU patients:

 

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190711/mount-carmel-fires-23-employees-two-execs-leaving

Policing the Police with Columbus Community Cop Watch

 

Columbus Community Cop Watch isn’t waiting for a new police chief. And they’re not waiting for the Columbus Division of Police to review and implement recommendations from the Community Safety Advisory Commission. They’re not waiting on reform.

 

Founded by Hana Abdur-Rahim, Cop Watch is a grassroots approach to creating more transparency in the policing of Columbus residents. In essence, they police the police.

 

“I was just tired of things not getting done by City Council members, the mayor. We need to just watch them ourselves,” says Abdur-Rahim, referencing the local police killings of Tyre King, Henry Green, Julius Tate Jr., Jaron Thomas, etc. “Basically, we’re trying to prevent another shooting from happening, and prevent another case of police brutality from happening in specifically black and marginalized communities.”

 

Each member has downloaded a scanner app on their phone so that, at any given time, one or more can respond to a dispatch call and record the ensuing interaction between police officers and civilians. They don’t have a camera crew or anything, they’re just using the cameras on their phones. And it isn’t a widespread group. So far, they have about seven or eight regular members. 

 

More below:

https://www.columbusunderground.com/policing-the-police-with-columbus-community-cop-watch-ls1

 

Columbus is running *slightly* behind last year's murder total.  58 through yesterday when 2018 had 61.  The heat hasn't translated to a spike in crime like it sometimes does.  Of course, any single month could make or break a better overall year. 

Columbus City Council passed legislation that will reduce penalties for possessing marijuana.  Offenders caught with up to 100 grams would be fined $10 and those caught with 100 and 200 grams would pay $25.  Unlike state law, possession of up to 200 grams will not lead to possible jail time:

 

NBC4:  https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus-passes-marijuana-possession-reform/

 

10TV:  https://www.10tv.com/article/columbus-city-council-approves-legislation-reduce-marijuana-penalties-2019-jul

 

Dispatch:  https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190722/columbus-city-council-votes-unanimously-to-reduce-penalties-for-marijuana-possession

Jury recommends death sentence in killings of 4-year-old daughter, ex-girlfriend

 

For the first time since 2003, a Franklin County jury has recommended a death sentence.

 

A Common Pleas Court jury recommended Wednesday that Kristofer Garrett, 26, of the Far East Side be sentenced to death for his conviction August 6 on two of three aggravated murder charges in the stabbing deaths of his 4-year-old daughter, Kristina Duckson, and her mother and his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Duckson.

 

The jury was deadlocked on how to sentence Garrett for Nicole’s murder, so a sentence of life without parole was recommended.  But jurors unanimously agreed that the aggravating circumstances of Kristina’s murder — that she was a child under the age of 13 and that Garrett killed his daughter to cover up Nicole’s murder — were so brutal that death was an appropriate sentence for his conviction on the two aggravated murder counts in the child’s killing.

 

MORE:  https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190814/jury-recommends-death-sentence-in-killings-of-4-year-old-daughter-ex-girlfriend