Crime and Law Enforcement

Working to keep Ohioans safe and secure.

While serving as Ohio’s Attorney General in the 1990s, I took seriously my solemn responsibility to protect Ohioans as their chief law enforcement officer. The first responsibility of government is to protect its citizens. 

Now, in this time of economic crisis, Ohio’s state and local governments face new and daunting challenges to keep our communities safe and secure. More than ever, our courageous law enforcement officials need support from the federal government and a Senator who will work with them to help rid our streets of violence and illegal drugs that threaten the safety and security of every American.

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, local law enforcement agencies have had to stretch limited resources, as counter-terrorism efforts were added to traditional law enforcement duties. Unfortunately, Republicans like former Congressman Rob Portman have been hostile to programs providing federal support to our nation's law enforcement officers, voting repeatedly to block funding. After years of drastic budget cuts under the Bush Administration, the Democratic majority made restoring these programs a major part of its agenda in 2007. The Obama Administration added funding for these programs in 2009, allowing local police departments to hire or retain 5,000 workers across the country. In the Senate, I will fight to protect such critical programs and strongly support the heroic men and women who put their lives on the line every day to make our streets and communities safer.

• Lee has the highest respect for law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to make our neighborhoods, schools and communities safe. He has consistently supported measures to strengthen local law enforcement and when elected to the U.S. Senate, he will fight to fully fund the community-oriented policing program and local law enforcement block grant programs. Lee will also fully support Byrne Grants and other programs designed to assist rural law enforcement in modernizing their equipment.
• As a state legislator, Lee fought for the families of missing children and the victims of violent crime, authoring laws like the Missing Children Law; the Hate Crime Law; and the Crime Victims Assistance Law.
• As Ohio’s Attorney General, Lee created the award-winning Operation Crackdown program, shutting down hundreds of dangerous drug houses throughout Ohio and ridding neighborhoods of illegal drugs. Lee also established the first-ever statewide law enforcement and crime victim conferences, which are now annual traditions in Ohio’s law enforcement community.
• In the early 1990s, Lee worked with leaders of both political parties to assist law enforcement by initiating the creation of Ohio’s first DNA database. The database consisted of samples from violent felons, unknown offenders and unidentified victims, and was made available to local and federal law enforcement as a tool for tracking down perpetrators of new crimes.
• President Bill Clinton named Lee Fisher as Chair of The National Commission on Crime Prevention and Control, a Commission created to develop a comprehensive proposal for preventing and controlling crime and violence in the United States. Unfortunately, the Commission was never funded by Congress, but his appointment by the President was a further demonstration of Lee’s national reputation as a proven crime-fighter.
• Vulnerable seniors can be victimized, physically and financially, even by the people who are supposed to be caring for them. Lee worked to protect seniors from fraud and victimization as Ohio’s Attorney General, and he’ll continue that fight in the Senate.