PATASKALA, Ohio — They say a picture never lies. If that’s the case, the Pataskala Police Department is sending out a cold truth.
“It’s important for people to know that there will be consequences if you possess a firearm illegally,” Det. Philip Gavin said.
Gavin and his department have had a busy couple of months.
“We’ve seized almost the same amount of firearms in a month-and-a-half that we did the entire year of 2021,” he said.
Since Dec. 18, PPD has seized 18 firearms. Only one of those firearms has been from a non-criminal incident. In all, there have been eight incidents involving six juveniles. Gavin says not one of them is from Pataskala.
“I believe it could be the rise in juvenile crime coming out of Columbus,” he said. “Spilling out into neighboring jurisdictions.”
Pictures on the department’s Facebook page have been met with enthusiasm and appreciation. But not all pictures are getting the same love.
One picture, sent to 10TV by Pataskala Police Deputy Chief Michael Boals, made its way through social media, Monday, before being deleted. It seemingly shows a Pataskala officer in his cruiser sleeping while on duty.
“It’s a violation of policy,” Boals said. “We’re aware of it and it’ll be addressed internally.”
10TV is not showing the officer’s face because he is not facing disciplinary action at this time. Deputy Chief Boals says the image doesn’t help the department’s overall picture.
Staffing has been an issue for the last couple of years. The department has twice put a levy in front of voters asking for a higher income tax to help pay for more officers. And, twice, it’s been voted down.
Boals says the image of the officer sleeping could lead voters to believe giving more money to the department would be a waste.
“I’m sure for some it would,” he said.