Are Reductions in Ohio State Highway Patrol Staffing Levels Associated with Drops in Drug and OVI Arrests?
15 Pages Posted: 12 Jun 2024
Date Written: June 12, 2024
Abstract
Previous research found that Ohio State Highway Patrol drug arrests/violations significantly declined from 2018-2023. The current study sought to determine whether decreased numbers of drug and OVI arrests were associated with decreased Ohio State Highway Patrol sworn staffing levels. The results showed that, after controlling for several factors, decreased Ohio State Highway Patrol sworn staffing levels were associated with decreased numbers of drug and OVI arrests. Interpolation was used to create daily staffing levels from Ohio State Highway Patrol data that listed staffing levels for each year. It should be noted that interpolation of daily values from yearly values is certainly not ideal, meaning this research should be considered exploratory. It would be highly recommended to utilize actual daily staff levels where possible.
Keywords: Ohio State Highway Patrol, drug arrests, drug violations, OVI, staffing, law enforcement, Ohio
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