COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the last two summers, the Columbus Division of Police has conducted 'Operation Moonlight', an initiative that adds additional officers in high-visibility areas during key hours in the summer.
Now, that operation will be extended until the end of the year.
The city said the operation is for events that draw a lot of attention and have the potential for violence.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said community and neighborhood safety is the number one priority which is the driving factor for why they want to extend the operation until the end of the year.
“Know this. We are working to strengthen neighborhood safety using comprehensive collection of strategies, techniques, tactics and we will continue to leverage every tool and resource at our disposal to keep Columbus safe,” said Ginther.
The officers involved with the operation sign up for the shifts through voluntary overtime.
The police department said "Operation Moonlight" has been successful thus far, not so much in enforcement, but in interaction with the public.
Since May, police have had 16,000 positive contacts with the community.
The cost commitment of the operation this summer was $2 million. City Councilmember Emmanuel Remy said he will request about $600,000 from council to keep it running through the end of the year.