Every OCSEA member deserves to go home safely at the end of their shift. Sadly, that has not been the case for our union brothers and sisters working at the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. Their dangerous jobs have been made more hazardous by chronic understaffing and continued mismanagement of the Ohio DRC.
Then a horrific tragedy happened on Christmas morning at the Ross Correctional Institution. Correction Officer Andrew Lansing had volunteered to work overtime before celebrating the holiday with his family. But he never made it home. Officer Lansing was murdered by an inmate with a history of making threats in the facility. And this is not an isolated incident. Officer Lansing is the second DRC employee to be killed on the job this year. Back in April, another employee was killed on a DRC-run training firing range.
THIS CANNOT CONTINUE! We need to raise our voices and demand that Governor Mike DeWine and the State Legislature change leadership at the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections NOW! That is the only way to restore confidence in the Department and protect the lives of its employees. We must have leadership that listens to staff, works with staff and makes staff safety the top priority.
Let’s send a powerful message to Governor DeWine and your State Legislators that he needs to act now! SEND A LETTER TODAY! And please, you are highly encouraged to add more to the form letter to the governor, especially if you have personal experience or know someone who’s been affected by the mismanagement at DRC.
Click below to write the Governor and Legislators.