Attorney David Betras
After originally threatening a veto and over the objections of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association and the Ohio Association of Police Chiefs, Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 175 on Jan. 4 making Ohio the 36th state in the nation to adopt “Stand Your Ground” legislation.
The law went into effect on Tuesday. In this week’s column, I will compare Stand Your Ground” to the “Castle Doctrine” that it supplants and offer some sage legal advice Ohioans should consider before pulling the trigger.
Like many American legal principles, the Castle Doctrine is based on English common law and literally means that a person’s home is their castle and they have the right to defend it.
As Columbus Democrat-controlled government remains locked in a pitched battle over whether the city s police union can influence the way officer-involved shootings and allegations of misconduct are investigated and discipline is carried out, it was their own party that gave the union its current power.
And since the mid-1980s, when Ohio instituted a sea change in public sector collective-bargaining laws, police unions have gradually shifted to the right
on issues like gun control, concealed carry and availability of assault weapons even as police are increasingly called upon to face off against sometimes heavily armed protestors at emotionally charged political rallies.
wscott@heraldstaronline.com
IN DISCUSSION â Wintersville Councilman Robbie Martin, seated at the end, discussed a matter during the panelâs meeting Thursday. Martin was elected council president and will preside over meetings in the absence of Mayor Bob Gale. Seated to his left is Councilman Randy Spence, who also was nominated for council president; and and to Spenceâs left is Councilman Dr. Michael Ross. Warren Scott
WINTERSVILLE Upcoming gas line replacements, a village ordinance against parking on snow-covered streets were among business and a handful of police matters were among business before Wintersville Council on Thursday.
Village Administrator Walt Ziemba said crews with Columbia Gas will be replacing gas lines in the Canton Road area from the Kroger store north to Meadow Road and starting with Springdale Avenue on Jan. 18.