criminal justice update spring 2012 (pdf)

8/2/2019 Criminal Justice Update Spring 2012 (PDF)

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AG pursues scammers

Continued on Page 7

Continued on Page 7

COVERSTORY

The Consumer Protection

Sections Economic Crimes Divisionhelps local law enforcement andprosecutors identify, investigate,and prosecute consumer fraudof a criminal nature.

Fo the past fou yeas, Todd and

Jessica Steinhaus of Coshocton posted

thousands of Caigslist ads acoss the county advetising tickets to the Wold Seies, NBA Finals,

Supe Bowl, and concets featuing Katy Pey, Kenny Chesney, and Ushe.

Thei claims wee false. But they wee believable enough to dupe unsuspecting consumes in

36 states and Canada into sending money. The Steinhauses scammed consumes in Cleveland,

Columbus, Cincinnati, New Yok, Chicago, Los Angeles, and othe cities out of moe than $200,000.

A coopeative investigation led by the

Ohio Attoney Geneals new Economic

Cimes Division involved the Bueau

of Ciminal Investigation, the Booklyn

Heights and Mount Venon police depat-

ments, and Coshocton County Sheiffs

Ofce. In December, the pair pleaded

guilty to fou felonies. Todd Steinhaus was

sentenced to six yeas in pison and his

wife to fou.

4 Failure to deliver Scammes

advetise goods, sevices, o popety

online, but neve delive afte eceiving

payment.

4 Work from home offers Con atists

offe jobs as Intenet entepeneuso web-mall hosts, which equie

up-font fees. Secet shoppesae

asked to cash a check and send pat

of the poceeds elsewhee to test

anothe business custome sevice.

In each case, job seekes get little o

nothing and ae out thei cash.

4 Payment fraud Individuals

legitimately selling goods o sevices

online ae contacted by a buye who

ovepays with a fake check o cedit

cad and asks to be eimbused the

diffeence.

4 Grandparent scams Scammes

pose as fiends o family membes in

need to convince thei tagets to

wie money.

4 Contractor fraud Contactos

aange to do home impovements,

sometimes even daft contacts, but

do little o nothing afte taking

consumes money.

Top Scams

Fo Sgt. Michael Lang of the Englewood Police Depatment, the day he was able to tell a

25-yea-old woman that a man suspected of aping he moe than 10 yeas ealie had been

aested stands out as one of his best on the job.

A beak in the case came thanks to a new law that equies the collection of DNA fom all

felony aestees. That aspect of fome Senate Bill 77 took effect July 1, 2011.

The next day, Madison County sheiffs deputies aested a man on a felony abduction

chage and authoities collected his DNA. When enteed into the Bueau of Ciminal Inves-

tigations CODIS database, it matched DNA collected afte the ape of a 14-yea-old gil

in Englewood in 2001. A gand juy indicted the suspect on multiple chages in that case,

and he is awaiting tial.

Informing the victim and her family that this long, torturous mystery was nally

moving towad closue was one of the happiest moments of my caee, Sgt.

New law helps solve cold cases

Attorney General Mike DeWine

Every new DNA prole

represents an opportunity to

resolve cases that may have

been pending for years, to

bring criminals to justice,

and to bring closure to

victims. Thats what Senate

Bill 77 is doing.


2/8

CrIMINAL JUSTICE

UpdatE

Criminal Justice Update typically is publishedfou times a yea by the Ohio AttoneyGenerals Ofce, primarily for members of

Ohios ciminal justice community.

To shae stoy ideas o alet us to addesschanges, contact Edito May Alice Casey at

614-728-5417 [email protected].

Volume 4, Issue 2Sping 2012

Copyight 2012by Ohio Attorney Generals Ofce

30 E. Boad St., 17th FlooColumbus, OH 43215

www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/

CriminalJusticeUpdate

CrIMINAL JUSTICE UPDATE

attorney Generl Mike deWine hers n overview ofBCIs mobile crime lb cpbilities.

In its rst review of GPS tracking, the U.S.

Supeme Cout uled in Januay in United States

v. Jones that law enfocement must have a

seach waant befoe attaching a GPS tacking

device to a subjects vehicle. The cout held that

the attachment and infomation gleaned fom

monitoing a subjects movements on public

steets constitutes a seach within the mean-

ing of the Fouth Amendment.

In 2005, fedeal agents secetly attached a GPS

device to a Jeep diven by Antoine Jones while

it was paked in a public paking lot. The agents

monitoed Jones tavels fo 28 days and used

the esulting data to help secue a conviction fo

his participation in a drug trafcking conspiracy.

When consideing govenmental intusion using

technology, those in the ciminal justice system

often think of the easonable expectation of

pivacy ationale set foth in Katz v. United

States in 1967.

InJones, howeve, the cout ecognized the

Katzfomulation, but noted, Fo most of ou

histoy, the Fouth Amendment was undestood

to embody a paticula concen fo govenment

tespass upon the aeas (pesons, houses,

papes, and effects) it enumeates.

In eaching its decision in Jones, the

Supeme Cout emphasized, We have no

doubt that such a physical intusion would

have been consideed a seach within the

meaning of the Fouth Amendment when it

was adopted. The govenment physically

occupied pivate popety fo the pupose of

obtaining infomation.

Based onJones, law enfocement agencies

should ensue thei policies equie a seach

warrant before ofcers attach or monitor

GPS tacking devices on taget vehicles, even

those located in public places.

Visitwww.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/

LawEnforcementBulletin to view and sign up

for a new monthly newsletter that highlights

key court cases.

As a posecuting attoney, I leaned ealy in my

caee that people facing mental health pob-lems wee cycling though ou ciminal justice

system time and again, eceiving jail o pison

time athe than the teatment they needed.My colleague Ohio Supeme Cout Justice

Evelyn Lundbeg Statton saw the same thing

yeas ago as a tial judge.

Ou shaed inteest in the poblem, whichwe have woked on togethe in the past, has

pompted a new patneship that I believe holds

much pomise. Its called the Attoney Geneals

Task Foce on Ciminal Justice and Mental Ill-

ness, a new goup that is building on the wok

of a committee Justice Statton fomed moethan a decade ago. (See story, Page 5.)

A couple things ae especially exciting about

this effot.

Fist, it involves some of the best minds acoss

Ohio who ae in a position to help addess this

vexing poblem. Not only do these individuals

epesenting law enfocement, the judicial

system, the mental health eld, housing groups,

veteans advocates, education, and moe

have the know-how to make a diffeence, they

shae a vey eal desie to do so.

This is an action-oiented goup. Just as JusticeStatton and I ae co-chaiing the task foce,

pais of expets ae leading its 10 subcommit-

tees. They have identied problems, and they

ae woking with thei colleagues on and outside

the task force to nd solutions.

The numbe of people with mental illness in jails

and pisons has gown in ecent decades as state

teatment facilities closed and community-based

programs lacked the resources to ll the void.

We wont solve the many issues involved ove-

night, but we can effect eal change. And that

will ceate a bette envionment fo Ohio fami-

lies, individuals with mental illness and thei

loved ones, and peace ofcers across the state.

Vey espectfully yous,

Mike DeWineOhio Attoney Geneal

Help or consumers

I am vey pleased with the pogess of

ou Consume Potection Sections new

Economic Cimes Division. The units wok

has led to felony chages against 14 scam

atists, and additional investigations

hold pomise.

With you help, we can cack down on

cimes against consumes that polifeate

duing had economic times such as these.

I uge law enfocement and posecutos to

tun to ou staff fo help in identifying, in-

vestigating, and posecuting cimes against

consumes. Authoities wishing assistance

can visit www.OHLEG.org and click on

Economic Cimes Assistance to Law En-

focement o send an e-mail to Economic

[email protected].


3/8

SPRING 2012 3

VaNtaGE POINT

The Tom Stickrath fle

Law enfocementfom acoss the statewill gathe at 11 a.m.May 3 to hono six of

thei pees who lostthei lives in the line

of duty in 2011 and six histoical nomi-nees. The Ohio Peace Ofcers Memorial

Ceemony making its 25th annivesay will take place at the Ohio Peace Ofcer

Taining Academy in London.

Those lost in 2011:

Deputy Suzanne M. Hopper of the

Clark County Sheriffs Ofce, who was

shot on Jan. 1, 2011, while espond-ing to a call at a local campgound

Ofcer Thomas R. Hayes of theColumbus Division of Police, who diedJan. 20, 2011, fom complicationsesulting fom a 1979 gunshot wound

Ofcer Jonathan V. Bastock of the

Stow Police Depatment, who died Feb.5, 2011, fom an on-duty injuy

Capt. Daniel Stiles of the Uniontown

Police Depatment, who died Feb. 15,

2011, while directing trafc

Ofcer Andrew S. Dunn of theSandusky Police Depatment, whowas shot while confonting a suspecton Mach 19, 2011

Sgt. Brian S. Dulle of the Warren County

Sheriffs Ofce, who died May 10, 2011,

afte being stuck by a suspects vehicle

On striving for excellence

I shae the Attoney Geneals vision that BCI vey clealy

be the best at what we do be the best investigative

agency, the best laboatoy, the best opeation of ou

type in the county. How you achieve that is though

custome sevice, undestanding ou customes needs,

undestanding whee BCI adds value. Ive told ou

leadeship team that this is a new nomal this level

of engagement, the inceased numbe of cases coming

into ou lab, the high level of investigations and calls

that we get so we need to get used to the pace. I set

the ba high, and I have high expectations.

On BCIs strategies for improvement

If somebodys doing something bette than us, I want

to lean fom that. Wee looking at othe labs, at bestpactices, and benchmaks. So well get thee by hiing

the best, looking fo the best, eading the eseach, and

engaging with Ohio eseaches and academicians.

On BCIs relationship with local authorities

I want them to think of us as tue patnes. Ive spent a

lot of time talking with sheiffs and chiefs and posecu-

Hometown: Maietta, Ohio

Education: He holds a bachelos

degee in business administationand a law degee, both fom Ohio

State Univesity.

Family: His wife, Denise, is a ceti-

ed public accountant. They have

two daughtes, Kelsey, a college

sophomoe, and Kylie, an eighth-

gade.

Past roles: Stickath has seved

as diecto of the Ohio Depatment

of Public Safety; diecto of the

Ohio Depatment of Youth Se-

vices; assistant diecto, egionaldiecto, waden and chief inspec-

to fo the Ohio Depatment of re-

habilitation and Coection; and as

inteim diecto of the Govenos

Ofce of Criminal Justice Services.

HONORINGTHE FALLEN

tos. I want them to see us as that patne and that place that adds value to the law enfocement

community through our specialties through our Laboratory, Identication, and Investigations divi-

sions. The Law Enfocement roundtables that the Attoney Geneal has been holding acoss the

state ae geat vehicles to get the message out. I give sheiffs and chiefs my cell phone numbe and

tell them to call me 24/7. And they take me up on that fotunately not evey night o evey minute!

On what best prepared him for this role

Im not a scientist and Im not a police ofcer, and so I have great respect for those who are. What

helped me, othe than having the oppotunity to hold leadeship positions in othe lage oganiza-

tions, is woking with a boad spectum of pactitiones in the cimi-

nal justice community. That gives me a stong undestanding of the

criminal justice system and where the pieces t together.

On his management style

I believe stongly in management by walking aound, by walking

and talking. Thats how I lean. Its been one of my main manage-

ment pinciples in evey position that Ive had. You can lean much

moe by talking to staff than you can by pushing pape. And, you know, thats a challenge, becausethees plenty of pape to push and phone calls and e-mails to answe. Its also impotant to tell

people that theye doing a good job. All manages have to deal with people fom time to time who

aent pefoming, but I like to catch people doing things ight. Thats impotant.

READ MORE: Read an extended interview with Tom Stickrath at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/CriminalJusticeUpdate .

Caleb Dunn hugs a memorial to his dad, Andrew

Dunn, a Sandusky police ofcer who will be

among those honored May 3. (Photo courtesy of

Jason Werling/The Sandusky Register.)


4/8CrIMINAL JUSTICE UPDATE

Finding the right words in a difcult situationcan be challenging fo anyone. Finding the

ight wods to allow a child to disclose abuse

takes taining.

The Ohio Attoney Geneals Cime Victim Sec-

tion offes that instuction, which is aptly named

Finding Wods.

A ve-day course Interviewing and Preparing

Childen fo Cout helps law enfocement,

posecutos, child potection wokes, and foen-

sic inteviewes lean best pactices fo investi-

gating and posecuting child abuse. Taught by

experienced practitioners in the eld, it is set forJuly 1620 at the Ohio Peace Ofcer Training

Academy (OPOTA) in London.

A moe advanced thee-day couse The Fo-

ensic Inteviewe at Tial is being offeed fo

the rst time in Ohio to help prosecutors and fo-

ensic inteviewes pepae childen fo tialand posecute cases. Set fo Oct. 2931 at

OPOTAs London campus, it will be led by

expets fom the National Child Potection

Taining Cente.

Putting the child frst

The whole pemise behind Finding Wods

is to put the child rst, said Ursel McElroy,

who coodinates the couses. That is tue in

evey aspect of the taining.

In addition to always consideing the childs

best inteests, that appoach means con-ducting an age-appopiate inteview, lean-

ing to ovecome vaied linguistic abilities,

and knowing how to avoid leading questions.

Finding Wods also stesses the impotance

of a team appoach involving law enfoce-

ment, posecutos, child potection wokes, and

foensic inteviewes.

You want the most qualied person conduct-

ing the inteview so the child doesnt have to go

though it moe than one time, McEloy said.

BCI supervisor appreciates trainings depth

Savalas Kidd of the Ohio Bueau of Ciminal Inves-

tigation ovesees special agents involved with the

Attoney Geneals Cimes Against Childen Initia-

tive. He is a stong advocate fo Finding Wods.

I think all law enforcement ofcers involved in

investigating these types of cimes should takethis taining, he said. It stesses the impotance

of making the child the rst priority and not losing

sight of that. And it walked us though a case fom

beginning to end fom inteviewing the child to

posecution and coutoom testimony.

Kidd appeciated the depth of the taining and

the knowledge he gained of vaious pofessionals

oles in the pocess. Noting the collaboation thats

necessay between law enfocement, advocates,

posecutos, and othes, he added, That appot

is so impotant to ensue the integity of the inves-

tigation can always be maintained.

To register or Finding Words

Visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/Victim

AdvocateTrainings to sign up fo Finding Wods.

Class size is limited, so ealy egistation is en-

couaged.

Courses offer vital guidance in handling abuse

I am a strong advocate or

Finding Words. I think all

law enorcement ofcers

involved in investigating

these types o crimes should

take this training.

Savalas Kidd, BCIspecial agent

supervisor,Crimes Against

Children Initiative

The rst three hours after a

childs abduction ae citical in de-

temining whethe the child will be

found alive. If an abducto intendsto kill a child, 74 pecent do so within

those rst few hours.

Thats why the Child Abduction response

Team (CArT) is impotant. Its a system to help

quickly coodinate law enfocement capabili-

ties and esponses following a kidnapping.

CArT suppots the investigation of the agency

in chage, poviding additional tained peson-

nel to help as needed.

Ohio CArT coodinatos can assist a equest-

ing agency in its ealy assessment to detemine

what esouces ae needed and the quickestmethod to get them on site,said Powell Police

Chief Gay Vest, who chais Ohio CArT.

Active since 2006 in egions aound the state,

Child Abuse

Prevention Month

CART welcomes participation, suggestions

CArT has aided in about a dozen missing

pesons cases involving childen and eldely

adults. Late last yea, Ohio membes began a

eview and evitalization of thei effots.

The Ohio Attorney Generals Ofce partici-

pates in CArT though its Bueau of Ciminal

Investigation and Missing Pesons Unit. In

addition to providing nancial support, the

ofce assists with trainings, mobilizes re-

gional CArT goups in missing pesons cases,

and is helping with the eoganization. Othe

local, state, and fedeal agencies; seach-and-

escue teams; medical pesonnel; and victim

advocates also ae active in CArT.

CArT is woking to ensue that equests fo

help ae met with the ight aay of peson-

nel and esouces. To aise awaeness of the

goup, they welcome membes to invite the

paticipation of colleagues.

For details on CART, contact:

Ohio CART Program Director Jeff Hill

614-761-4603

[email protected]

Brent Currence of the Ohio Attorney

Generals Missing Persons Unit

614-728-5431

[email protected]

Information also is available by visiting the

Law Enforcement Foundations website at

www.lef-oh.org and clicking on the

CART link.

APRIL MARKS


5/8SPRING 2012 5

The leades of an Ohio task foce woking

to educe the evolving doo effect many

people with mental illness encounte with

the ciminal justice system agee on a lot of

things. But pobably thei most fundamental

common gound is a desie to get things

accomplished.

Those co-chais ae Attoney Geneal MikeDeWine and Ohio Supeme Cout Justice

Evelyn Lundbeg Statton, and thei goup is

the Attoney Geneals Task Foce on Ciminal

Justice and Mental Illness. The task foce be-

gan meeting in Decembe afte evolving fom

the Advisoy Committee on Mental Illness and

the Couts (ACMIC), which Justice Statton

fomed in 2001.

Need for solutions apparent

The situation

all involved with

the task foceagee calls fo

a detemined ef-

fot. People with

sevee mental

illness make up 18 pecent of all Ohio pison

inmates, accoding to a 2010 epot fom

the Ohio Depatment of rehabilitation and

Coection. The Ohio Depatment of Youth

Sevices epots that 58 pecent of the 564

youth in its cae as of Mach 1 wee eceiving

psychology o psychiaty sevices.

I became inteested in this poblem when

I was a county posecuto and found that a

lage numbe of epeat offendes, paticulaly

those who committed mino offenses, had

mental health poblems, Attoney Geneal

DeWine said. They went to jail with a mental

health poblem, and they came out with a

mental health poblem. They weent getting

teatment.

While in the U.S. Senate, Attoney Geneal

DeWine and then-Congessman Ted Stick-

land co-sponsoed legislation that led to moe

mental health couts and expanded teatment

fo inmates and paolees. Meanwhile, unde

Justice Stattons leadeship, ACMIC has

helped make Ohio a national leade in mentalhealth couts and othe specialty dockets.

Partnership expands opportunities

Justice Statton said

she welcomed the

Attoney Geneals

invitation to evolve

the task foce,

adding, It expands

ou emphasis, ou

each, and ou foce. It eally enhances ou

ability to do a lot moe when we combine

foces.

The task foces 10 subcommittees ae mak-

ing headway on longstanding poblems. Fo

instance, when an inmate eceiving mental

health cae leaves pison, he eceives only a

14-day supply of medication. A subcommittee

is woking to extend the medication supply

and povide an additional pesciption. Othe

goups ae making inoads on housing, law

enfocement taining, and issues involving

militay veteans.

To assist, the Attorney Generals Ofce will

povide $500,000 fo mental health-elated

pojects.

Partners supportive of efforts

repesentatives of

the mental health

and law enfocement

communities see

much value in im-

poving inteactions

between the ciminal

justice system and those with mental illness.

The ciminal justice system has become a

quasi mental health system, said Tey rus-

sell, executive diecto of the National Alliance

on Mental Illness of Ohio. What Justice Stat-ton and Attoney Geneal DeWine have done is

say, We can do bette. We should stop and get

help fo these people befoe they get to the

ciminal justice system.

Obetz Police Chief Ken Hinkle, who will begin

a one-yea tem as pesident of the Ohio As-

sociation of Chiefs of Police this fall, agees.

The task force has been very benecial in

getting all the stakeholdes togethe, Hinkle

said. When that happens, you get bette com-

munication and geate awaeness.

Added Wayne County Sheiff Tom Maue, the

Buckeye State Sheiffs Association epesen-

tative to the task foce, I think its a big posi-

tive fo the law enfocement community.

Training seen as essentialExpets agee on the value of law enfoce-

ment taining that focuses on de-escalating

situations involving people in cisis. Vaying

levels of taining ae available:

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)

CIT taining is a 40-hou couse linking law

enfocement and emegency mental health

sevices. Paticipants lean about de-

escalation, psychiatic disodes, substanceabuse, legal issues, and the expeiences

of those with mental illness and thei loved

ones. Taining is povided at no cost to local

agencies. Fo infomation, visit www.nami

ohio.org and click on the pogams link.

Both the Buckeye State Sheiffs Associa-

tion and Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police

advocate the taining.

Interacting with the

Special Needs Population

This fee one-day couse offeed by the Ohio

Peace Ofcer Training Academy (OPOTA)

povides a efeshe on dealing with people

in cisis. Eight offeings ae scheduled in

2012. Fo dates and locations, visit

www.OhioAttorneyGeneral/OPOTA.

Combat Veteran Issues

This OPOTA couse coves issues confont-

ing distessed combat veteans, including

post-taumatic stess disode, and teaches

de-escalation techniques. Fo details, visit

www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.OPOTA.

De-escalating Mental Health Crises

This online e-OPOTA couse coves the

complexities of inteacting with individuals

in mental health cises. To take the couse,

visit www.OHLEG.org.

Panel addresses mental health, criminal justice issues

The task foce includes 10 subcommitteesfocusing on a ange of issues affectingmentally ill individuals and the ciminal

justice community. Membes ae at the

top of their elds across the state. For a

list of subcommittee chais, visit www.OhioAttorney General.gov/Criminal

JusticeUpdate. Fo moe infomationon the task foce, e-mail [email protected] o [email protected].

For more on the task orce


6/8CrIMINAL JUSTICE UPDATE

BCI brings more visibility to unsolved homicides

The Ohio Bueau of Ciminal Investigation (BCI) can povide in-

ceased visibility to help local law enfocement agencies esolve

unsolved homicides.

Though the Ohio Attoney Geneals website at

www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/OhioUnsolvedHomicides,

local law enfocement can shae details and photos elated to

unsolved homicide cases and solicit tips fom the public.

BCI denes an unresolved death as a homicide or questionable death that remains unsolved at

least two yeas afte being epoted to law enfocement and fo which thee ae no appaent

viable leads.

By highlighting cold cases on the AGs website, local law enfocement agencies can:

Bring widespread visibility to a case

Increase the likelihood of new tips

Compare details of cases in their jurisdictions with unsolved homicides elsewhere,

which helps identify linked cases

To equest that an unsolved homicide be included in BCIs statewide database and featued on

the Attoney Geneals website, call BCI at 855-BCI-OHIO (224-6446) o send an e-mail to

[email protected].

Up to a quate of college women epot having

expeienced sexual assault. To help campus,

municipal, and county law enfocement pofes-

sionals who seve campuses bette investigate

these crimes, the Ohio Peace Ofcer Training

Academy will conduct sexual assault esponse

tainings aound the state this summe.

The tainings ae fee and will un fom 8 a.m. to

5 p.m. each day at:

University of Akron, July 1618

Owens Community College, July 2325

Ohio State University, July 30Aug. 1

Sinclair Community College, Aug. 68

Ohio University, Aug. 1315

To egiste, visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.

gov/OPOTA and click on regional Tainings.

Register now forTDIM gathering

The Ohio Attoney Geneals 21st annual TwoDays in May Confeence on Victim Assistanceis set fo May 1011 at the Hyatt regencyColumbus.

The confeence, oganized by the AttoneyGeneals Cime Victim Section, will consistof fou geneal sessions and 33 beakoutsessions built aound the theme Mission Pos-sible: Let No Victim Stand Alone.

A look at the confeences speakes:

Lundy Bancroft has 20 yeasof expeience in inteventionsinvolving abusive men and theifamilies. His wok focuses onbest pactices fo intevening

with male pepetatos of violence, tain-ing pofessionals to help childen who havewitnessed the abuse of thei mothes, andsuppoting healing and empowement foabused women.

Sgt. Mike Farrar of the AkonPolice Depatment is the fatheof an autistic son. He will high-light the pevalence of autismand speak on its causes,common behavios of those

with autism, and how to have a successfulencounte with a peson with autism.

Debra Puglisi Sharp will shaehe stoy of suvival afte beingbludgeoned, aped, kidnapped,and held fo 101 hous by acack cocaine addict who mu-deed he husband.

As pat of the confeence, the Attoney GenealsFoste Youth Symposium will be held May 11.

The symposium will bing togethe pactitionesand policy makes to addess issues suound-ing the 29,000 youths each yea who age out ofthe foste cae system. Symposium paticipantswill help ceate an action-oiented plan fo sev-ing at-isk youth.

registation fo the Two Days in May Confe-ence costs $50. To egiste o eceive moeinfomation, visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/TDIM.

OPOTA addresses campussexual assault response

Nicole Dehne has

been named diec-

to of the Attoney

Geneals ecently

announced Cimes

Against Childen

Initiative, which tagets sex offendes

who pey on kids.

Dehne will ovesee administative and

policy aspects of the initiative and assist

with posecutions. She is based at theOhio Bueau of Ciminal Investigations

London headquates.

As a fome assistant Fanklin County

posecuto, Dehne specialized in cases

involving violent cimes and sexual as-

saults against women and childen. Most

ecently, she seved as the chief policy

advisor for the Ohio Ofce of Criminal

Justice Sevices and, befoe that, as

in-house counsel fo the Depatment of

Public Safety.

To each Dehne about the CimesAgainst Childen Initiative, e-mail he at

Nicole.Dehner@OhioAttorneyGeneral.

gov o call he at 740-845-2187.

Crimes Against Children

Initiative director namedNominations fo the Ohio Attoney Geneals

Distinguished Law Enfocement Awads will

be accepted though June 1. To nominate

an individual o goup in any of the six awad

categoies, visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.

gov/LawEnforcementAwardNomination. The

awads will be pesented at the 2012 Law En-

focement Confeence Oct. 2526 at the Hyatt

regency Columbus.

Nominations accepted for

law enforcement awards


7/8

LEGISLatIVE INITIATIVES

The Ohio Attorney Generals Ofce works with the Ohio General Assembly to advocate legislation aimed at supporting local law enforcement. For more

infomation on these effots, contact the Attoney Geneals Help Cente at 800-282-0515.

ontinued from Page 1

This is one of the wost cybe scams that weve

een so fa, Attoney Geneal Mike DeWine said.

These rst-degree felony convictions should make

vey scamme out thee think twice befoe pey-

ng on Ohio families.

xperienced team leads eort

he Steinhaus case is an example of those being

usued by the Economic Cimes Division, fomed

yea ago within the Consume Potection Sectiono help local authoities identify, investigate, and

osecute consume faud of a ciminal natue.

ed by Pincipal Assistant Attoney Geneal Jona-

han Blanton, a fome Jackson County posecuto,

he division includes thee othe attoneys and two

nvestigatos.

Weve built a team of people with expeience and

aining who can take some of the buden off of

onducting these time-consuming and complex

nvestigations, Blanton said. Ou goal is to be a

esouce fo local law enfocement and posecu-

os. Wee stiving to povide indictment-eadyases to county posecutos.

elony charges fled against 14

he divisions investigations have led to felony

hages against 14 people. Eight have pleaded

uilty, and othe cases ae pending.

We wok to get in thee while a situation is hot,

lanton said. These ciminals dont leave a long

ail. The people who ae good at it have a plan fo

making themselves had to tack. They know how

o switch things up when the heat is on.

o example, if a scamme convinces a consume

o wie money to a paticula location, that busi-

ess may have secuity video that could help

dentify the individual. But its vital to contact the

mechant quickly while the footage is available.

AG pursues scammersContinued from Page 1

Cold cases

Blue Alert(Senate Bill 285)

Sponsors: Sens. Gayle

Manning and Tom PattonStatus: Passed and signed;

takes effect June 7

This new law pemits local law enfocement

to equest a statewide Blue Alet when a law

enforcement ofcer has been severely injured

o killed o to aid in locating a suspect o

missing ofcer. There must be a sufcient de-

sciption of the suspect o the cicumstances

surrounding an ofcers injury, death, or

disappeaance to believe that an alet could

help locate the suspect or missing ofcer.

SPRING 2012 7

For assistance

Visit the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway

(OHLEG) at www.OHLEG.org and clickon Economic Cimes Assistance toLaw Enfocement in the left-handcolumn. Fill out the bief fom and astaff membe will espond.

Provide details by sending an e-mail toEconomicCrimes@OhioAttorney

General.gov.

Lang said. SB 77 connected the dots in a

case that might have neve been connect-ed. Fo this, I know a family and a cetain

young woman, now 25, who ae vey,vey thankful.

As of late Mach, 173 unsolved cimes now

have a pime suspect though DNA matchesmade possible by the new law. Peviously,

only the DNA of those convicted of feloniesand cetain sexually oiented misdemeanos

was enteed into CODIS.

Finding someones DNA at a cime scene isoften the piece of evidence that makes the

case and lands the ciminal in pison, wheehe o she belongs, Attoney Geneal Mike

DeWine said. We now see how SB 77 ishelping us identify moe bad guys, who justmight have gotten away with thei cimes had

it not been fo the new law.

Law enfocement agencies submissions toCODIS ae up fom about 2,700 pe month

befoe the law took effect to about 4,600

pe month cuently. The inceased sub-mission ate will help gow the database which now contains moe than 428,000

convicted offende and aestee DNA po-

les and in turn increase the potential

fo solving moe cases.

Since the law took effect, the numbe ofcases in which a sample matched DNA fom

a known offende o an unsolved cime hasinceased fom about 110 pe month to 127

pe month.

Every new DNA prole represents an op-potunity to esolve cases that may have

been pending fo yeas, to bing ciminalsto justice, and to bing closue to victims,

Attoney Geneal DeWine said. Thats whatSenate Bill 77 is doing.

New law adds teeth

To give the division moe ammunition, the Atto-

ney Geneal initiated legislation that allows it to

subpoena phone ecods, Intenet potocol ad-

desses, and payment data in suspected faud

cases. Senate Bill 223, which the legislatue

passed unanimously, also makes cybe faud

penalties consistent with those fo othe thefts.

It takes effect June 7.

Unfotunately, many of these cimes go une-

poted. Eldely people ae fequent tagets, andmany fea admitting they wee conned.

The people who ae unning these scams put a

lot of time into thei effots to seem believable,

Blanton said. They talk about family, and gain

thei tagets tust. Theye also vey pesistent

moe pesistent than seems nomal.

Many people dont le police reports because

the incidents dont seem like cimes in the tadi-

tional sense.

Sometimes these mattes seem like civil dis-

putes. They can seem fuzzy, Blanton said. Iflaw enfocement lets us know of suspicious situ-

ations, well chase them down to see if a cime

was committed.

DNA swabbingSenate Bill 268

Sponsor: Sen. John Eklund

Status: Senate passedunanimously, now being

consideed by House*

This bill would equie that DNA samples be

taken fom people summoned to cout on

felonies o aleady incaceated at the time

new charges are led. It complements a law

that took effect in July 2011 equiing all fel-

ony aestees to submit DNA samples. It also

ceates a povision fo sealing the ecods of

those acquitted o not posecuted.

Arson registrySenate Bill 70

Sponsor: Sen. Tim

SchaffeStatus: In committee*

This bill would establish a statewide ason

egisty to be maintained by the Ohio Bueau

of Ciminal Investigation (BCI) and made

available to law enforcement, re chiefs, and

re marshals. It would require that anyone

convicted of ason egiste with thei county

sheiff within 10 days of thei elease fom

incaceation and enew thei egistation

annually fom that point fowad.

* Indicates status as of press time in early April.


8/8

dRUG TAKE-BACK

A sophomoe fom Meto Ealy College High School in Columbus looks

for and lifts ngerprints with guidance from Special Agent Bryan White

duing a visit to the Ohio Bueau of Investigation (BCI) in London

ealie this yea. The students whose couses focus heavily onscience, math, engineeing, and technology visited BCI to lean

about the bueaus foensic science and investigative sevices.

National Prescription Drug

Take-Back Day set for April 28

The Ohio Attorney Generals Ofce and lawenfocement agencies acoss the state

will paticipate in a National Pesciption

Dug Take-Back Day fom 10 a.m. to 2

p.m. Apil 28.

Speaheaded by the Dug Enfocement

Agency, the collection day gives Ohioans

an oppotunity to safely discad expied o

unneeded pesciption medications.

Fo a complete list of dop-off locations,

visit www.dea.gov.

criminal justice update spring 2012 (pdf)

Documents