University President Kristina M. Johnson announced that Ohio State will invest an additional $2 million a year over the next decade to enhance safety and security on and around campus in a press conference Friday. Credit: Maya Neyman | Managing Editor for Digital Content
University President Kristina M. Johnson announced that Ohio State will invest an additional $2 million a year over the next decade to enhance safety and security on and around campus in a press conference Friday.
Johnson said these measures will go into effect immediately, including expanding off-campus security through private contractors who will expand patrols in the University District, adding additional permanent mobile lighting fixtures and camera systems in the off-campus area and expanding the Lyft ride program for students to and from the Short North area.
“We are all committed to working hand-in-hand until this problem is solved in our community and in our city,” Johnson said. “Since the tragic shooting death of Ohio State student Chase Meola last year, the university has invested more than a million dollars in safety measures. It is not enough and we must do more.”
Johnson was joined by Mayor Andrew Ginther and Commander Dennis Jeffrey of the Columbus Division of Police.
“We know this is a very small number of folks committing violent crimes throughout the city,” Ginther said. “We need the public’s help in getting them off the streets and bringing them to justice. We need everyone in our community to step up, to speak out and to work with law enforcement to hold those who commit these crimes accountable.”
Ginther said the total incidence of violent crime –– robberies of individuals, felonious assaults and burglaries –– in the University District area has decreased 51 percent since the implementation of the university’s safety plan Aug. 27.
Ohio State police continue to recruit and train new officers and the public safety team will also examine the effectiveness of the new safety approach, Johnson said. Funding for the new measures will come from the university’s budget.
She added that a holistic approach is necessary to address the root causes of crime, such as offering educational resources to students to keep them safe and potentially prevent future crime.
“This is a huge societal problem,” Johnson said. “How do we reinvent public safety?”
The press conference follows a Friday morning neighborhood safety notice — the fourth this month, according to the Department of Public Safety website. Shots were fired outside of a house in the off-campus area after suspects were denied entry to a party.
It also follows Saturday’s parent protest outside the ‘Shoe calling for more permanent safety measures in the on- and off-campus areas.
Johnson said she has met with the students who have been impacted by these crimes and will not rest until the problem of crime is solved.
“This is personal to me, there’s nothing I take more seriously than student safety. Our students’ safety is number one and it always will be,” Johnson said.
Maya Neyman and Jessica Langer contributed reporting.
