Public Safety

The ACLU of Ohio advocates for a vision of public safety centered on reducing police overreach and overreliance, addressing the root causes of crime, and reinvesting in community resources.

Our laws give police extraordinary authority – it’s imperative that law enforcement perform their duties without trampling individuals’ civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of Ohio also advocates against excessive force and has brought lawsuits against agencies who use excessive force against peaceful protesters.

The ACLU of Ohio works to ensure that police be transparent, accountable, and responsive to the communities they serve. Police must treat all people fairly, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or mental or physical disability. The underlying problem with policing isn't a lack of training or policies and procedures, it's systemic. In order to address racism in policing, we need to fundamentally reimagine the role police play in our society.

We also advocate for solutions that address the root causes of public safety issues to stop crime before it happens.

People experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis are in urgent need of compassion, care, and support. But too often, they are met with a police response that worsens the situation and leads to their arrest, involuntary hospitalization, incarceration, or the use of deadly force against them.

The ACLU of Ohio serves as an Executive Committee member for the Columbus Safety Collective Campaign, a community-driven movement focused on establishing an alternative-police response system that serves all Columbus residents. The campaign has collected tens of thousands of signatures for The Community Crisis Response Amendment over the past several months and is working to place the issue on the City of Columbus’ May 2026 primary election ballot.

For archived information about Cleveland’s Consent Decree, read here.