CINCINNATI — A statewide grant directed by Gov. Mike DeWine is helping police departments better prevent and solve crimes. 

Cincinnati Police officials said if it wasn’t for the heroic actions of an officer with the department’s Civil Disturbance Response Team, a shooting Saturday night in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood could have been much worse.

“He acted immediately, he ran toward the gunfire and but for the actions of him we can only imagine what type of injuries would have happened to people,” said Col. Michael John, of the Cincinnati Police Department.

John said it was this officer’s actions that helped keep the bystanders alive. 

“There’s no question that the actions of Officer Joe Shook and his officers saved lives,” he said. 

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said it’s important to keep law enforcement staffing levels up.

“Cincinnati personnel was a top priority for our most recent budget,” said Pureval. “We made a historic investment into two recruit classes. We passed legislation funding for overtime.”

The Cincinnati Police Department is one of 16 local and state agencies receiving $5.7 million from the governor’s Ohio Violence Crime and Reduction Grant Program.

Nearly $400,000 will help CPD pay for things like retention bonuses, recruiting new officers, and public safety services. So far, nearly $29 million has been awarded to 99 Ohio law enforcement agencies.

“Our most recent strategy of increasing police presence at both The Banks and Main Street cost money and I support spending it on that,” said Pureval. 

According to the governor’s office, the grant initially was launched in 2021 with $8 million from the state’s operating budget, and increased to $58 million with the addition of $50 million from the American Recovery Plan Act.