News Summary

Springfield, Ohio — Clark County and Springfield criminal justice officials hope for more cops, more task force work, more equipment and two capital murder trials coming up in 2009.

The Safe Streets Task Force is expected to launch again this year, said Springfield Police Division Chief Stephen Moody.

"We plan on re-starting that in April, it was a great success last year," he said

The task force, a unit comprising three undercover officers assigned to it from regular duty, was started in 2004 and resumed in 2008. Staffing level concerns kept the task force from operating in 2006 and 2007.

In terms of staffing at the police division, Moody said he hopes for approval to add as many as seven more officers by the end of the month.

The Clark County Sheriff's Office is currently taking bids for additional cameras in the county jail, said Sheriff Gene Kelly.

"We want to improve the camera system," he said.

The plan involves the purchase of up to eight new cameras and the upgrade of some of the existing 40, said Lt. Vern Whitt of the Clark County Sheriff's Office.

Kelly said the decision to upgrade and purchases cameras "was not precipitated" by an incident earlier this year in which an inmate fell 30 feet down a jail elevator shaft.

Kelly said officials will be adding a kiosk to the lobby at the sheriff's office where inmates' families can deposit money into jail accounts.

Cash is currently deposited at the jail into inmates' accounts by friends or relatives, and inmates are permitted a balance of up to $50 to purchase items from the commissary.

The kiosk will alleviate long lines at the jail and save dozens of man hours, Kelly said.

Two capital murder trials are scheduled in 2009:

• Charles Cunningham, 37, accused in the shooting deaths of Jessica Serna, 27 and Heidi Shook, 28 last October. His trial is scheduled for April 13.

• Juan Rios, 25, is accused of the June 22 shooting deaths of Misael C. Nunez, 21, and Arnulfo Claudio, 24. That trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 16.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0360 or vlough@coxohio.com.