MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. will no longer have his office review or present police shooting cases to a grand jury following recommendations from the state and other agencies involved with law enforcement.
“As is the case for all homicides, my Violent Crimes Bureau is available to provide guidance needed during the immediate and initial investigation, but I will be appointing special prosecutors to handle further guidance, review and presentation of such cases to the Grand Jury as soon as possible after the shooting,” Heck said in a letter to the county’s police chiefs and Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck.
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The decision comes after a shift in policy recommendations following the death of George Floyd in police custody on Memorial Day and the push for law enforcement reform.
READ THE FULL LETTER BELOW:
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“While I sincerely believe my office has handled cases involving officer-involved shootings in a fair, just, and unbiased manner, the fact remains that in order to improve the public perception of justice, we will no longer handle police involved shooting that occur in Montgomery County,” Heck said.
Heck said Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost have recommended to the Ohio General Assembly that there be a mandate in the state that outside prosecutors be assigned to all officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths to independently evaluate evidence and prosecute charges in these cases.
“The executive committee of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association recently voted to support these proposals,” Heck said.
The change in policy was sent out to local law enforcement agencies in late July.
Cox Media Group
