The murder of Officer Andrew Lansing on Christmas Day at the Ross Correctional Institution showed the world how dangerous working in Ohio’s prisons can be. That awful tragedy led to meaningful change when OCSEA convinced the Ohio Dept. of Rehabilitation and Corrections to allow officers at Ross and Trumball Correctional Institutions to carry tasers as part of a pilot program. The tasers have already proven to be extremely effective in stopping violent attacks just a few weeks after they were first deployed.
Unfortunately, there’s a catch. The statewide deployment of tasers depends on how much money DRC receives in the next state budget. Governor DeWine requested money to buy more tasers and hire additional sergeants to help ease staffing shortages. But the funding was cut in a version of the budget passed by the Ohio House of Representatives. That’s why we need YOUR help to write state legislators now.
Every Officer working in our correctional institutions in Ohio deserves protection! That’s why it’s critical for state legislators to give DRC the funding it requested to pay for the statewide deployment of tasers to all state corrections facilities. Write your State Legislator RIGHT NOW! Urge them to fully fund DRC’s request for safety equipment in the state budget.