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Bexley police report: OVI arrests and traffic contacts doubled in 2024; Safe at Home rollout set for Jan. 31
Summary
The police chief told council the department doubled OVI arrests and traffic contacts in 2024 and previewed a Jan. 31 rollout of the Safe at Home initiative and continued expansion of canine bomb-detection outreach.
BEXLEY, Ohio — Chief Gary Lewis told the City Council on Jan. 14 that the Bexley Police Department increased enforcement activity in 2024, reporting a doubling of OVI arrests and a doubling of citations, warnings and traffic contacts compared with the previous year.
“The work output and the call for safety in our community, in our neighborhoods is clearly being completed,” Chief Gary Lewis said, summarizing annual enforcement trends and saying the department will provide a more comprehensive annual report later.
Lewis also said the department has expanded canine bomb-detection work, partnering with neighboring jurisdictions to conduct regular sweeps of synagogues, and credited Lieutenant O’Reilly with leading the Safe at Home initiative. The chief said the public unveiling of Safe at Home will begin Jan. 31, following the initial announcement and positive community feedback on the concept.
Councilmember Marcelino and others noted seeing officers representing Bexley in media stories and praised officer outreach. During the meeting Chief Lewis named Officer Heston and Officer Johnson as participants in a recent television safety piece. Marcelino also asked about the K-9 statistics; Lewis said the figures reflect recent synagogue-related responses and outreach in partnership with New Albany, Worthington and parts of Columbus.
Why it matters
Council members said the increase in arrests and contacts reflects a department focus on roadway safety and community outreach. The Safe at Home program is intended to be a proactive safety service for residents; its full rollout and operational details will be provided before Jan. 31.
What’s next
Chief Lewis said the department will include the enforcement metrics in a forthcoming annual report and will provide updates on Safe at Home after Jan. 31.
