Toledo City Council’s latest action to reduce crime
The action involves two pieces of legislation, which aims to hold public safety officials accountable.
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TOLEDO, Ohio — In an effort to both keep the public informed and up-to-date on crime in the city of Toledo, and hold safety officials accountable, Toledo City Council has passed two pieces of legislation sponsored by Toledo City Councilwoman At-Large Dr. Tiffany Preston Whitman.
The first piece of legislation requires the mayor’s office and administration to present an annual Comprehensive Public Safety Plan to members of Toledo City Council.
The legislation requires that the mayor’s office develop the plan in consultation with the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department, Toledo Police Department, City of Toledo Transportation Department, Lucas County Court System, Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, and representatives of local health and school systems.
These agencies, according to the legislation, should assist with establishing the contents of the plan and present it before the Public Safety Committee of Toledo City Council within 60 days of the start of the new year. It is required that the plan be publicized by way of the city’s website.
Now to the second piece of legislation that was passed, which has to do more with efforts to reduce crime.
It requires that the mayor and the chief of the Toledo Police Department, in consultation with the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department, and other City of Toledo departments and agencies pertaining to crime reduction, submit a report to Toledo City Council twice a year by November 30th and May 30th during a Toledo City Council Public Safety Meeting. The legislation also requires, two weeks after each meeting, the publication of the plan to the city’s website.
The minimum requirements for data in the plan include crime by zip code, neighborhood, and district — broken down by race, ethnicity and gender. It’s also required that the plan examine the actions of Toledo’s police department. That would include current officer staffing levels and retirements, summary of discipline issues, police union priorities, non-policing efforts aimed at crime reduction, as well as community engagement.
You can view both pieces of legislation, in their entirety, on the city’s website.
