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Columbus To Hire More Police Officers Amid High Crime Rates
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The Columbus mayor says the city will hire an additional 30 police officers on top of already scheduled hires this year as Ohio’s biggest city struggles with record high homicide rates.
The additional 30 officers announced Wednesday by Mayor Andrew Ginther would give the city about 100 new officers this year. The Democratic mayor also announced an additional $2 million to pay for the extra officers and other neighborhood safety initiatives
The head of the police union representing Columbus officers has said the city needs a minimum of 200 new officers.
Columbus tallied 143 slayings last year, four more than the previous record set in 1991 in the midst of the crack cocaine epidemic. The city has had eight homicides so far this year.