Title
Notice/Advertisement Title: Juvenile Safety Hearing Minutes
Contact Name: Jessica Clinger
Contact Telephone Number: 614-645-6354
Contact Email Address: JNClinger@columbus.gov
Body
Columbus City Council
Juvenile Safety Hearing Minutes
Hosted by Council President Hardin, Council member Remy, and Council member Ross: City Hall
Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 2pm
Call to order: 2:10pm
Present: Council President Shannon Hardin, Council member Remy, Council member Ross, Council member Day-Achauer, Dr. Tanisha Pruitt, Assistant Chief Potts, Dr. Chenelle Jones, Mario Dovell, Marion Meadows, Officer Lutz, and Jessica Clinger.
Council President Hardin welcome and opening remarks. Need to focus on juvenile safety year round and not just seasonally. Juvenile crime trends are troubling.
Council member Remy opening remarks - Need partnerships and collaboration. Talked to a group at the Boys and Girls Club. Our young people want to be seen, valued, and heard. As a father of 3 teenagers I appreciate this topic especially. We need to come together as a village and help young people contribute.
Council member Ross opening remarks - Need to have nimble and flexible approach. We need to elevate the voices of young people. It starts with community and ends with community. Council member Day-Achauer opening remarks. Youth programming is essential in this conversation. City could only fund about half of the youth programs that applied for the summer youth program. Youth programming needed year round. As our city grows we need to make sure that no young person if left behind.
Presentation:
-Columbus Police Department: Assistant Chief LaShanna Potts and Officer Lutz. We know this is a problem we need to address. Officer Lutz is critical in this work of dealing with youth violence and prevention.
Officer Lutz - It is apparent to me that young people are struggling right now. We need a sustainable solution and not just one that is punitive.
AC Potts - Presentation of crime statistics including broken out by juvenile crime statistics. Young people are also effected as victims of crime. Gun seizures are happening and young people are increasingly being found with guns. CPD needs real time crime sharing. Youth violence is a public safety and public health problem. Patterns show repeat offenders are seen across all systems. A disproportionate number of crime is associated with a small number of offenders. Division is attempting to make changes such as NextGen, gang enforcement team, gang enforcement team, and beyond enforcement.
Officer Lutz - We are talking about about 200 repeat offenders. There are also problems with data systems that won’t allow us to share data.
AC Potts - Violence intervention programs do work, if they are funded appropriately. Data sharing and coordination need strengthening.
CM Remy - What could we be doing more and better in Columbus?
AC Potts - Curfew enforcement. Both as a city and at the division level. Officers use discretion but we need consistency with juveniles. Council can make curfew ordinance stronger. Judicial enforcement can be more consistent.
-Dr. Chenelle Jones, Franklin University - Serious crime statistics are down but there are young people at a high risk of being offenders and victims of serious crime. 25% of children live in poverty in Franklin County and that is a risk factor to be a perpetrator and victim.
Columbus has a curfew ordinance in place and that is not about punishment but instead about protection. Their risk of predatory behavior, violence, and peer influence. Columbus could make adjustments to the ordinance could be extended to 6am and increase the age ranges and hours. We could decrease their participation in crime and helps us intervene early. This would align Columbus with major cities.
Truancy isn’t just about prevention. Research shows truancy is a risk factor for crime and youth violence. Children need structure of school and safety.
Parental responsibility ordinance could help address these problems as well. Reinforcing parental responsibility.
Other cities Columbus should look at: most major cities have better curfew laws and those end at 6am. Nashville, Houston, Chattanooga etc
Better coordination with schools including data sharing.
Parental responsibility ordinance could be done on a statewide or city level.
We should be more strategic in connecting parents and caregivers to resources that work. Need resources that tie to metrics.
-Columbus City Schools: Monique Jacquet, Chief of Whole Child Supports and Lauren Lopez, Director of Attendance, Climate, and Culture.
Lauren Lopez - Present data on truancy and chronic absenteeism. CCS has seen chronic absenteeism drop since 2021 at 74% and is now 49% of students in 2025. Truancy filings themselves have dropped with the Court. 194 truancy filings this year. The state just shifted the attendance law. There is now more leniency on school districts on when they are at risk of chronic absent or truant. CCS is imbedding truancy interventions and supports.
Public testimony -
o Melissa St. Clair - Moms of Murdered Columbus Children
o Willa Jackson - NPCCB
o Rhea Cunningham, CEO, Boys and Girls Club and Emmily (BGC Youth of the Year)
o Diego Hansard - B.R.O.S. Mentorship and Leadership Program
o Ralph Carter - We are Linden
o Eryn Hathaway - Executive director, EPIC Youth
Adjourned at 4:07pm