CLEVELAND — The Ohio State Highway Patrol has announced that 30 felony arrests were made during its most recent "violence reduction initiative" conducted over a two-day period in Cleveland last week.
The operation was a combined venture between the OSHP, the Cleveland Division of Police, and several other local, state, and federal authorities focused on the city's fourth and fifth districts on October 17-18. It was the sixth "targeted saturation event" or "surge initiative" held in Cleveland since August.
The OSHP says that in addition to the 30 arrests, a total of 27 illegally possessed firearms were seized and three stolen vehicles were recovered. Troopers, federal agents, and police officers also seized "varying amounts of fentanyl, fentanyl pills, crack, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, psilocybin (mushrooms), prescription pills and marijuana."
In August, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a partnership between the Cleveland Division of Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio Investigative Unit, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Ohio Department of Youth Services and other local and federal authorities in an effort to help fight violent crime.
Last month, the governor revealed that 138 felony arrests were made and 63 guns seized in the first three two-day surge initiative operations. The fourth surge initiative in late September netted 43 arrests, with another 18 arrests made in an operation earlier this month.
“So far these initiatives have been extremely successful in very short periods of time,” OSHP Sgt. Bridget Matt told 3News earlier this month. “We have a shared mission and that’s to keep the community safe and to remove these criminals from our roads."
Previous Reporting:
- Ohio State Highway Patrol arrests 18 in state's 5th 'surge' initiative to fight violence in Cleveland
- Ohio State Highway Patrol: 43 felony arrests made during 2-day violent crime reduction initiative in Cleveland
- Gov. Mike DeWine announces 138 felony arrests during 'surge initiative' operations in Cleveland