In May 2016, the state of Ohio implemented 19 standards for all Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP). All dispatch centers were required to achieve compliance within two years from the date of adoption. Some standards were put into place to challenge the viability of individual dispatch centers and to promote regional dispatch centers. Montgomery County PSAPs are audited for compliance and Oakwood continues to be in full compliance with the standards required for operating a PSAP. In May 2019, Montgomery County PSAPs were audited for initial compliance by the Ohio Department of Administrative Services Ohio 9-1-1 Program Office. Oakwood was found to be in full compliance with the standards required for operating a PSAP. This process is ongoing. In early 2023, compliance documents were again submitted, and Oakwood remains in full PSAP compliance.

Year-to-date, there has been only one incident where the use of force was required. The low number of use of force incidents in Oakwood is a testament to the professionalism and de-escalation skills of Oakwood’s Public Safety Officers patrolling streets every day.

On June 17, police responded to the Davis-Linden Building in the city of Dayton on what was initially reported as a fight. The call was then upgraded to a shooting, and then an active shooter. Oakwood responded on a mutual aid basis with multiple units. Chief Hill commended Public Safety Officer Jeff Watkins and Public Safety Officer Rob Wilson for their response to this incident. The Oakwood officers were one of the first responding units from an outside agency on the scene immediately after the shooting.

On May 29, the city received its updated ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating. The city’s rating improved from a Class 3 to a Class 2 rating. Class 1 represents superior property fire protection capability, and Class 10 would indicate the fire suppression program does not meet ISO’s minimum criteria. This Class 2 rating places our city inside the top 7% of all agencies in the state of Ohio.

The Oakwood Public Safety Department is once again issuing “Good Choice Tickets.” The program is designed to recognize Oakwood’s youth for making good choices such as using a crosswalk, wearing a bicycle helmet, or looking both ways before crossing the street. This is a good way for the officers to interact and acknowledge youths for making good choices.

Fraud continues to be a major problem. The Federal Trade Commission’s 2022 snapshot review reports 2.4 million fraud reports in 2022 totaling almost 9 billion in total loss. Although the number of reports was down from 2021 to 2022, the amount of total loss increased by 2.7 billion from 6.1 to 8.88. Chief Hill shared some tips to help prevent fraudulent activity: lock your financial documents and records in a safe place at home and lock your wallet or purse in a safe place at work. Keep your information secure from workers and contractors; before you share information at your workplace, a business, your child's school, or a doctor's office, ask why they need it, how they will safeguard it, and the consequences of not sharing it; shred receipts, credit offers, credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks, bank statements, expired charge cards, and similar documents when no longer needed and consider placing a “credit freeze” on your credit report with the major credit bureaus. Also known as a security freeze, this tool lets you restrict access to your credit report, which in turn makes it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. If you are a victim or suspect you are a victim of identity theft, contact the Oakwood Safety Department as soon as possible to speak with an officer. The city’s website has a lot of information to help prevent, recognize, and report scams and fraud.

At a recent Global Fraud Conference, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) presented the annual Chapter of the Year Award (Small Market) to the Southwest Ohio Chapter. Founded in 1993, the Southwest Ohio ACFE Chapter is one of 196 ACFE global chapters.

The Southwest Ohio Chapter consists of about 100 members with many being Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs), which is the ACFE’s highest credential. These trained professionals often specialize in various types of fraud including individual fraud, fraud internal to organizations, or fraud external to organizations. The current chapter president is Oakwood resident Amanda Malusky-Krauss, who was in attendance tonight. Chief Hill congratulated Ms. Malusky-Krauss and her team. He shared that she will be invited to share a few words about the program after his report.

Mayor Duncan noted that Ms. Malusky-Krauss is also a member of the Oakwood Budget Review Committee and is a Certified Public Accountant.