Columbus, Ohio • Sep 08, 2012
Casino policing details not all ironed out
By Josh Jarman
Brooke L aVALLEY | DISPATCH
Jo Ann Davidson, chairwoman of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, officiates a swearing-in ceremony for undercover officers.
With a month before opening day, law-enforcement officials still are working out how to handle policing in and around the new Hollywood Casino.
Those close to the discussions say those details will be settled before the casino’s scheduled opening on Oct. 8. But questions remain about shared responsibility for crimes that cross jurisdictions and the use of off-duty officers in the casino.
Also undetermined is what will happen should the state’s new gaming-enforcement agents arrest someone on casino grounds. There is no plan for who transports that person to jail or who pays should that person need medical attention.
Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott said that concern was first raised during a meeting of law-enforcement and Ohio Casino Control Commission officials in May, but no agreements have been reached during subsequent meetings.
“It’s a big issue,” Scott said. “If the casino authority arrests someone, how do they get them to my jail? The city is going to say, ‘You catch ’em, you clean ’em.’ ”
Columbus Deputy Chief Richard Bash said the city doesn’t transport prisoners for other jurisdictions because of liability issues. He wants bad guys to know that they’ll figure it out, though, if the need should arise.
“If someone is there and they have to go to jail, they’ll go to jail,” he said, adding, “even if I have to put them on the back of my bike.”
Karen Huey, enforcement director for the control commission, said she understands that details such as prisoner transportation still need to be worked out, but it’s not the commission’s first priority because it hasn’t been a major issue in Cleveland and Toledo, the first two cities to open casinos.
In those casinos, the state’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation polices gambling for the commission. In Columbus, the commission will have its own officers; the first class of the state’s gaming-enforcement agents was sworn in yesterday.
Because those officers will deal mostly with gambling-related crime such as cheating or collusion, it’s unusual for the commission’s agents to have to make an immediate arrest, said Matt Schuler, the commission’s executive director.
In most instances, the person will be served with a summons or a case will be built with more investigation and the person later indicted, he said.
The situation in Columbus is unique because so many jurisdictions touch the casino property, which was annexed into the city from Franklin Township. While Columbus police have jurisdiction over anything that happens that’s not gambling-related on casino property, Franklin Township police and the sheriff’s office share jurisdiction in most adjacent areas.
That’s why bringing everyone to the table is so important, Bash said. He said a meeting next week among casino-commission employees, local law enforcement, casino representatives and city and county government officials will attempt to hammer out some of the last-minute concerns.
Columbus police already have said they will not hire any more officers specifically for casino enforcement. Scott’s office is preparing to ramp up patrols in the area soon after the casino opens.
The sheriff got permission to start a new class of deputies this summer, and the Franklin County commissioners on Tuesday are expected to approve buying 11 new patrol cars, mostly for casino-area enforcement.
Casino representatives confirmed yesterday that they will be hiring off-duty law-enforcement officers to work at the casino, at least initially. How many and where they will come from has not yet been determined, said Bob Tenenbaum, a Penn National spokesman.
Before that announcement, Bash said having off-duty officers there to handle security helps because it means an immediate response when there’s an assault or other nongambling crime.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/09/08/casino-policing-details-not-all-ironed-out.html
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