OHIO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

1970 West Broad Street P.O. Box 182081 Columbus, Ohio 43218-2081 www.ocjs.ohio.gov www.publicsafety.ohio.gov Ted Strickland, Governor S T A T E O F O H I O Henry Guzmán, Director MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Thomas Hunter, Communications Director, (614) 466-6178 April 14, 2008 ODPS JOINS NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS Office of Criminal Justice Services offers support and resources for victims and advocates (COLUMBUS) – “Justice for Victims, Justice for All,” is the theme as the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS) joins the national campaign to raise awareness for crime victims’ rights with the April 13 – 19 observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Crime affects everyone and can strike anyone. The impact of crime leaves families, friends, co-workers, neighbors and entire communities less secure. ODPS’ Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) serves as the lead justice planning and assistance agency for the state. Through research, technology and grants, OCJS serves a wide variety of agencies committed to reducing and preventing crime across Ohio. “Part of preventing crime is raising awareness for the tragedy it causes for victims and their families,” said Henry Guzmán, director of the ODPS. “ODPS is committed to working with communities, service providers, victims’ advocates, law enforcement and the judicial system to reduce the number of violent crimes in Ohio.” ODPS is partnering with local and state organizations to raise awareness for five key areas of crime that impact Ohioans: homicide, child abuse, workplace violence, teen dating/intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Each day, ODPS will send a localized news release highlighting a topic and encouraging participation in an event being held to raise awareness for the subject. Information about all of the topics and events is available at: http://www.publicsafety.ohio.gov/_prod.ocjs/OCVW_home.html. ODPS is starting the week by focusing on surviving family members and friends of homicide - a killing of one human being by another that can take place in many different forms. In 2006, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program showed that Ohio’s homicide rate decreased by 8.7 percent and the national homicide rate increased by .08 percent. This trend is positive for Ohio but more must be done to combat violent crime. “Until we can eradicate this crime, we will work diligently with our partners to find solutions that fit the crimes happening in our communities and neighborhoods,” said Karhlton Moore, executive director of OCJS. OCJS is working to reduce violence in Ohio’s cities through the Northern Ohio Violent Crime Consortium Violence Prevention Initiative. Communities committed to initiative include Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Elyria, Lorain, Mansfield, Toledo and Youngstown. The consortium focuses on urban settings and is based on the Operation Ceasefire model of violent crime reduction that was first introduced in Boston, Mass. in 1996. For information on Ohio’s initiative, visit the ODPS Crime Victims’ Rights Week Web site. ### OHIO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY 1970 West Broad Street | P.O. Box 182081 | Columbus, Ohio 43218-2081 www.publicsafety.ohio.gov