BCI brings more visibility to unsolved homicides
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) can provide increased visibility to help local law enforcement agencies resolve unsolved homicides.
Through the Ohio Attorney General’s website at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/OhioUnsolvedHomicides,
local law enforcement can share details and photos related to unsolved homicide cases and solicit tips from the public.
BCI defines an unresolved death as a homicide or questionable death that remains unsolved at least two years after being reported to law enforcement and for which there are no apparent viable leads.
By highlighting cold cases on the AG’s website, local law enforcement agencies can:
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Bring widespread visibility to a case
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Increase the likelihood of new tips
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Compare details of cases in their jurisdictions with unsolved homicides elsewhere, which helps identify linked cases
To request that an unsolved homicide be included in BCI’s statewide database and featured on the Attorney General’s website, call BCI at 855-BCI-OHIO (224-6446) or send an e-mail to
OhioUnsolvedHomicides@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.
Crimes Against Children Initiative director named
Nicole Dehner has been named director of the Attorney General’s recently announced Crimes Against Children
Initiative, which targets sex offenders who prey on kids.
Dehner will oversee administrative and policy aspects of the initiative and assist with prosecutions. She is based at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s London headquarters.
As a former assistant Franklin County prosecutor, Dehner specialized in cases involving violent crimes and sexual assaults against women and children. Most recently, she served as the chief policy advisor for the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services and, before that, as in-house counsel for the Department of Public Safety.
Nominations accepted for law enforcement awards
Nominations for the Ohio Attorney General’s Distinguished Law Enforcement Awards will be accepted through June 1. To nominate an individual or group in any of the six award categories, visit
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/LawEnforcementAwardNomination . The awards will be presented at the 2012 Law Enforcement Conference Oct. 25–26 at the Hyatt Regency Columbus.
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day set for April 28
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office and law enforcement agencies across the state will participate in a National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 28.
Spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Agency, the collection day gives Ohioans an opportunity to safely discard expired or unneeded prescription medications.
For a complete list of drop-off locations, visit
www.dea.gov.
OPOTA addresses campus sexual assault response
Up to a quarter of college women report having experienced sexual assault. To help campus, municipal, and county law enforcement professionals who serve campuses better investigate these crimes, the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy will conduct sexual assault response trainings around the state this summer.
The trainings are free and will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at:
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University of Akron, July 16–18
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Owens Community College, July 23–25
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Ohio State University, July 30–Aug. 1
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Sinclair Community College, Aug. 6–8
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Ohio University, Aug. 13–15
Register now for TDIM gathering
The Ohio Attorney General’s 21st annual Two Days in May Conference on Victim Assistance is set for May 10–11 at the Hyatt Regency Columbus.
The conference, organized by the Attorney General’s Crime Victim Section, will consist of four general sessions and 33 breakout sessions built around the theme “Mission Possible: Let No Victim Stand Alone.”
A look at the conference’s speakers:
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Lundy Bancroft has 20 years of experience in interventions involving abusive men and their families. His work focuses on best practices for intervening with male perpetrators of violence, training professionals to help children who have witnessed the abuse of their mothers, and supporting healing and empowerment for abused women.
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Sgt. Mike Farrar of the Akron Police Department is the father of an autistic son. He will highlight the prevalence of autism and speak on its causes, common behaviors of those with autism, and how to have a successful encounter with a person with autism.
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Debra Puglisi Sharp will share her story of survival after being bludgeoned, raped, kidnapped, and held for 101 hours by a crack cocaine addict who murdered her husband.
As part of the conference, the Attorney General’s Foster Youth Symposium will be held May 11.
The symposium will bring together practitioners and policy makers to address issues surrounding the 29,000 youths each year who age out of the foster care system. Symposium participants will help create an action-oriented plan for serving at-risk youth.