Explanation
The City of Columbus received a two-year United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) 2024 Smart Prosecution- Innovative Prosecution Solutions grant. This ordinance accepts and appropriates $286,319.00 in BJA funds. This funding supports the collaborative, public safety and violence interruption work driven by the City Attorney’s Property Action Team (PAT).
PAT coordinates the work of the City Attorney’s Office, the Division of Police, Code Enforcement, Public Health, Sanitation and neighborhood gatekeepers to increase public safety and build trust in the justice system. This teams works together to address abandoned and deteriorating houses, unsafe apartments managed by negligent landlords, drug houses and/or businesses that turn an eye to unlawful to criminal activity in a just and resident-centered manner. The team focuses on three key components when working with owners to turn around high-risk properties: crime, physical safety/built infrastructure and neighborhood engagement. PAT is embedded in the Columbus City Attorney’s Office and staffed with nine attorneys working directly with prosecutors, police, code enforcement and judges and is highly successful in increasing police response/presence (addressing crime) and addressing compliance with environmental codes (improving physical/built safety). Affecting these two environmental components are critical to triaging immediate crime and safety needs. However, implementing long-term, public safety solutions requires working one-on-one with property owners, managers and residents in hot-spots to develop multi-year, safety and opportunity plans. BJA Innovative Prosecution Solutions funding allows PAT to hire a full-time Community Relations Director which enhances the team’s capacity to work strategically in community with property owners and residents to develop and implement action plans meeting the unique needs of residents in and around hig...
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