Ohio Attorney General's office emails constituents re: reported sheriffs' delays

Wed, 31 Mar 2004
Mark Gribben
Director of Constituent Services
Office of Attorney General Jim Petro

Thank you for your message on the difficulty you are having with the County Sheriffs. Unfortunately, our office doesn't have the legal authority to compel the sheriffs to make the applications process easy, although we have taken all possible steps to make it as simple as possible for them.

The application online is the official application, although some sheriffs are using the template to insert their own logo. There is no reason why a sheriff would not accept the online application.

To give you an idea of what we have provided the sheriffs, here is a brief list of the information that has been sent to them - electronically and on paper since January:

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

* The Attorney General's Ohio's Concealed Carry Law pamphlet (multiple
copies for distribution and electronic versions)

* An application for a Temporary Emergency Concealed Carry Handgun License
under 2923.1213 (multiple copies in paper format to hand out to applicants, electronically via PDF, and on CD-ROM in a form that allows the sheriff to put his own logo on the application)

* An application for a License To Carry A Concealed Handgun under 2923.1210 (same as above)

* A format for the actual license. We have also provided a statewide format for assigning license numbers and provided the sheriffs with reproducible templates that fit typewriters and computer printers to make the issuance of the licenses easier. (This was mailed and e-mailed to sheriffs who opted to use the state-suggested format)

* We drafted and filed the fee split rule as approved by Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission which has been submitted for ORC 119 hearings.

* A mental competency Notification Form For Record Checks under 5122.311 for courts and hospitals to report statutorily required competency information to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification.

* A website at www.ag.state.oh.us, which contains an electronic version of the Concealed Carry booklet, a listing of Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy certified trainers, a copy of House Bill 12 legislation and House
Bill 12 question-and-answer, which is updated periodically.

* A website at www.OHLEG.org, (Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway - a secure server) which shows examples of National Rifle Association certificates that are given to certified instructors as well as students who complete the basic training course.

* As required by statute, a Challenge and Review Procedure for licensee applicants to challenge criminal history checks received from BCI.

* Enhanced the BCI Criminal History Database, and created both a Mental Competency Database as well as an Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy Statistics Database

* An online licensing process checklist, complete with instructions and
forms, as an informational aid for sheriffs who choose to use it for
reference.

* We have held five seminars with sheriffs around the state to provide
police and peace officers opportunities to ask questions, address concerns
and iron-out wrinkles in the process.

* We have conducted weekly teleconferences with law enforcement agencies via satellite from the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy for the same purpose.

This work represents many, many hours spent by a group of us in the Attorney General's Office. We have fielded hundreds of phone calls and answered countless e-mails, researched the law and programmed computers in preparation for the implementation of this law. And this is in addition to our "normal" work in this office. We have worked to ensure that the licensing process is as smooth and effortless as possible and it is
disappointing to find that when all is said and done, the sheriffs are dragging their feet.

I can assure you that when the first request from a sheriff comes in for a criminal background check from BCI - we will be ready to respond. Submitting the fingerprints electronically will allow a turnaround to the requesting agency in as little as 48 hours for a "no-hit" result. Of course, we do expect that early on the number of requests will delay that response time a bit.

While we cannot formally take action to spur action on the part of the sheriffs, please rest assured that these types of complaints do not go unnoticed and will be addressed.

Mark Gribben
Director of Constituent Services
Office of Attorney General Jim Petro

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