VW County official on governor’s task force

VW independent/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has named a Van Wert County official to his new warrant task force. The governor signed an executive order this week creating a task force to examine the current system of issuing and serving arrest warrants in Ohio.

“New warrants are issued every day in this state, piling on top of a growing backlog of old unserved warrants. It is simply impossible for law enforcement to keep up, which threatens the safety of our residents and communities,” said Governor DeWine. “I’m asking members of this task force to take a good look at this problem and identify options for improving this overwhelmed system.”

The Governor’s Warrant Task Force will make recommendations regarding the prioritization of warrants for serious offenders and threats to public safety; the substantial volume of outstanding warrants in Ohio; the mass issuance of warrants by courts across Ohio; and best practices for serving outstanding warrants.

Included on the task force is Van Wert County Clerk of Courts Cindy Mollenkopf, while others on the task force include clerks of court for Cuyahoga County and the City of Middletown, several county sheriffs and city police chiefs, deputy U.S. marshals, Assistant Director Karen Huey of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Colonel Paul Pride, and Superintendent Joseph Morbitzer of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

The task force will deliver its findings and recommendations to the Governor, Attorney General, and Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court by June 3.