(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today signed an executive order creating a task force to examine the current system of issuing and serving arrest warrants in Ohio.
“New warrants are issued every day in this state, piling on top of a growing backlog of old unserved warrants. It is simply impossible for law enforcement to keep up, which threatens the safety of our residents and communities,” said Governor DeWine. “I’m asking members of this task force to take a good look at this problem and identify options for improving this overwhelmed system.”
The Governor’s Warrant Task Force will make recommendations regarding the prioritization of warrants for serious offenders and threats to public safety; the substantial volume of outstanding warrants in Ohio; the mass issuance of warrants by courts across Ohio; and best practices for serving outstanding warrants.
A copy of the executive order can be found here.
The new task force replaces the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Compliance Working Group, which was previously created to examine local and state compliance with law enforcement and court data submissions, including warrant information, to NICS. In addition to the task force’s new objectives, task force members will continue its original purpose of monitoring NICS compliance.
The Governor’s Warrant Task Force includes the following members:
- Sara Andrews, Executive Director, Ohio Supreme Court Sentencing Commission
- Robert Baker, Forensic Services Director, Hospital Services, Ohio MHAS
- Laura Black, Chief of Staff, Cuyahoga County Clerk of Court’s Office
- Ed Burkhammer, Deputy Director, Office of Criminal Justice Services
- Nailah Byrd, Clerk of Courts, Cuyahoga County
- James Cyphers, Deputy U.S. Marshal, Southern District of Ohio
- Nicole Elliott, Leads Operator, Clark County Sheriff’s Office
- Rickeya Franklin, Director of Identification, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation
- Brian Fitzgibbon, Deputy U.S. Marshal, Northern District of Ohio
- Jeremy Hansford, Data Systems Administrator, Ohio State Highway Patrol, LEADS
- Karen Huey, Assistant Director, Ohio Department of Public Safety
- Cathy Harper Lee, Executive Director, Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center
- Steve Longworth, Clerk of Courts, City of Middletown
- Jim Luebbers, Criminal Justice Planning Supervisor, Office of Criminal Justice Services
- Timothy McGinty, Retired Judge, Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas
- Cindy Mollenkopf, Clerk of Courts, Van Wert County
- Karhlton Moore, Executive Director, Office of Criminal Justice Services
- Joseph Morbitzer, Superintendent, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation
- Stephanie Nelson, Director of Court Services, Supreme Court of Ohio
- Prosecutor Ron O’Brien, Franklin County, Ohio
- Col. Paul Pride, Ohio State Highway Patrol
- Lisa Shoaf, Director of Policy and Research, Office of Criminal Justice Services
- Sheriff Mike Simpson, Preble County, Ohio
- Chief Brandon Standley, Bellefontaine Police Department
- Robert Stuart, Director of Information Technology, Supreme Court of Ohio
- Peter Tobin, U.S. Marshal, Southern District of Ohio
- Andy Wilson, Senior Advisor on Criminal Justice Policy, Ohio Governor’s Office
The task force will deliver its findings and recommendations to the Governor, Attorney General, and Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court by June 3, 2019.
