CLEVELAND — The Ohio State Highway Patrol and Cleveland Division of Police worked with several other state and local law enforcement agencies to arrest more than 100 people and seize dozens of illegal guns during a months-long initiative to reduce violent crime in the city.
The OSHP announced Friday the results of its Violent Crime Reduction Initiative, a 34-week enforcement detail in Cleveland that began on March 5 and ended on Wednesday. Along with OSHP and CDP, the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Ohio Department of Youth Services and Ohio Investigative Unit lent support to the initiative, among other agencies.
According to OSHP, the highway patrol and the OIU made 113 felony arrests, seized 81 "illegally possessed firearms" including several AK-47 assault rifles and recovered 26 stolen cars. Authorities also confiscated "varying amounts" of illegal drugs including fentanyl, crack, crack cocaine, meth, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, PCP and prescription pills. Agents also seized Suboxone, a medicine used to treat opioid addiction, and marijuana.
The OSHP said the initiative was targeted at Cleveland's third, fourth and fifth districts on the city's east side, which authorities say had the highest number of violent crime calls.
The Violent Crime Reduction Initiative was the result of direction by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. Last year, DeWine called for state law enforcement agencies to provide resources to local authorities for multi-agency operations "upon request by local officials," the OSHP said.
