Editorials from around Ohio

Excerpts of recent editorials of statewide and national interest from Ohio newspapers:

The Columbus Dispatch, Oct. 1

By the end of this year, Columbus police officers will start being outfitted with body cameras, making good on a pledge made just over a year ago by Mayor Andrew J. Ginther.

“It will protect citizens,” Ginther said. “It will protect officers. And it’s the right thing to do.”

The body cameras, a third and unbiased eye, seem to be an especially good idea following two Columbus police shootings: Henry Green, 23, was killed on June 6; and Tyre King, 13, was killed on Sept. 14.

But the usefulness of police body cameras - to exonerate officers from false accusations and to hold them to account when a shooting is unjustified - depends on how they are used. Columbus is formulating its rules now, and as they say, the devil is in the details.

Most obviously, the cameras selected can’t be prone to malfunctioning. And they have to be turned on whenever an officer might become involved in a situation to use deadly force …

For the body cameras to be worth taxpayers’ investment, more than $8.5 million in direct costs, they need to be reliable and used routinely. And then police need to quickly release recordings. Otherwise the cameras will do little to restore public trust.

Online:

https://bit.ly/2dLbqrw

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The (Toledo) Blade, Oct 3

The nation mourned after learning that a child was fatally wounded in a school shooting last week in South Carolina.

A 14-year-old boy is believed to have killed his father at home before driving a pickup to Townville Elementary School in Townville, S.C., a little more than 100 miles northeast of Atlanta. He used a handgun to shoot a teacher in the shoulder and a student in the foot. Jacob Hall, 6, was also shot, and he died Saturday from blood loss after the bullet hit his femoral artery.

Had it not been for a volunteer firefighter, Jamie Brock, who rushed to the school once he knew reports about a shooter were real, the outcome could have been worse. A 30-year veteran of the Townville Volunteer Fire Department, Mr. Brock did not use weapons and prevented the teenager from shooting anyone else when he took him down on the school playground …

A majority of gun owners are in favor of closing the so-called gun-show loophole, which end-runs registration. Some 82 percent of National Rifle Association members believe that people on the no-fly (terror watch) list should be barred from buying firearms. And the vast majority of NRA members agree that law enforcement should have the tools it needs to trace the origins of weapons used in crimes. These are places to start.

Kids should be safe in their schools. Period.

Online:

https://bit.ly/2dLcls9

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The (Lorain) Morning Journal, Oct. 1

It’s that time again, people.

The November general election is less than two months away and the political ads are swarming the airwaves, on our computers, in the newspapers and on our smart phones.

Everywhere you look, there’s an ad touting a candidate for office or a ballot issue. Yards signs. Billboards. Social media.

We can’t escape them.

But they are reminders of the institution of voting and what’s required to cast ballots in our state.

To vote in Ohio, you must be a United States citizen, have turned 18 by Election Day on Nov. 8, live at an Ohio address and be registered to vote.

The deadline to register to vote in the Buckeye State is Oct. 11 …

But what voters must remember is that they are exercising their Constitutional rights when casting ballots.

We must never forget that at one time, not all citizens in this country could vote. African Americans couldn’t vote. Women couldn’t vote. Non-property owners couldn’t vote.

Current laws are designed to give every qualified citizen the right to vote.

Remember, with voting, you have options. If you don’t like a candidate or a ballot issue, you have the power to privately voice your opinion at the ballot box.

Not only is voting one of our fundamental rights, but it’s also a privilege that people in other countries may not have.

We’re urging everyone to exercise their right to vote.

Don’t take it for granted.

Online:

https://bit.ly/2dpftXq

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The (Youngstown) Vindicator, Sept. 29

Although the personal attacks dominated the headlines, the views expressed by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump … with regard to domestic and foreign affairs are of greater importance.

That’s because they provide insight into how Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, and Trump, the Republican nominee, would govern.

The two candidates participated in the first of three debates held on the campus of Long Island’s Hofstra University. The second will be on Oct. 9 in St. Louis and the third on Oct. 19 in Las Vegas.

It was clear by the end of the 90-minute gabfest hosted by NBC Nightly News Anchor Lester Holt that Clinton, former U.S. secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, and Trump, New York City billionaire and political novice, do not like each other.

But that’s not what’s important in this high-stakes election. The country is facing major challenges at home and aboard that demand a steady hand on the tiller …

While such extreme positions have endeared him to millions of Americans, the fact remains that this nation cannot survive in isolation.

Voters who remain undecided must think seriously about the positions the candidates are espousing on the important issues of the day …

Online:

https://bit.ly/2dlpOHC

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