Meeting of Mayors and Police Chiefs, Strategies to Reduce Gun Violence in Cities News Conference

Tuesday, April 09, 2019

There will be a news conference for credentialed media at 12:45 p.m., Wednesday, April 10 at the Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel, 444 North Summit St., regarding The U.S. Conference of Mayors Meeting of Mayors and Police Chiefs, Strategies to Reduce Gun Violence in Cities.

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, and U.S. Conference of Mayors President, Columbia, SC Mayor Steve Benjamin will speak during the news conference.

More than 50 mayors, law enforcement leaders, and policy officials will meet in Toledo to share strategies on reducing gun violence. Topics for the conference include gun-purchasing restrictions, encouraging gun-owner responsibility, and using technology as a tool for gun violence reduction and prevention. The sessions are not open to the media or the public.

“Gun violence is a serious problem that will never be solved if we are afraid to talk about it,” Mayor Kapszukiewicz said. “Congress is afraid to talk about this, and since they are unwilling to fix the problem, mayors from across the country will work together to identify common sense policies that will make our cities safer.”

“Congress and state governments across the country continue to ignore the serious issue of gun violence while placing severe restrictions on our cities' ability to address the issue,” Mayor Cranley said. “As leaders who are responsible for the safety of our citizens every day, mayors and chiefs must come together to discuss ideas and best practices that we can effectively use to reduce gun violence in our communities.”

The mayors attending include:

  • Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, SC and President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors
  • David Berger, Mayor of Lima, Ohio
  • Gavin Buckley, Mayor of Annapolis, MD
  • John Cranley, Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Carlo DeMaria, Mayor of Everett, MA
  • Mike Duggan, Mayor of Detroit, MI
  • Andrew Ginther, Mayor of Columbus, Ohio
  • Dan Horrigan, Mayor of Akron, Ohio
  • Wade Kapszukiewicz, Mayor of Toledo, Ohio
  • Andy Linko, Mayor of Brownstown Township, MI
  • Anan Abu-Taleb, Mayor of Oak Park, IL
  • William Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA
  • Chase Ritenauer, Mayor of Lorain, Ohio
  • Nan Whaley, Mayor of Dayton, Ohio

The police executives attending include:

  • Kenneth Ball, Chief of Police, Akron, Ohio
  • Stephen Vinansky, Police Commander, Pittsburgh, PA
  • James Craig, Chief of Police, Detroit, MI
  • William Holbrook, Chief of Police, Columbia, SC
  • Eliot Isacc, Chief of Police, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Melron Kelly, Deputy Chief of Police, Columbia, SC
  • George Kral, Chief of Police, Toledo, Ohio
  • Kevin Martin, Chief of Police, Lima, Ohio
  • Thomas Quinlin, Acting Chief of Police, Columbus, Ohio
  • Ladon Reynolds, Chief of Police, Oak Park, IL
  • Cel Rivera, Chief of Police, Lorain, Ohio
  • Scott Ruszkowski, Chief of Police, South Bend, IN
  • George Turner, Public Safety Commissioner, Atlanta, GA
  • Robin Lees, Chief of Police, Youngstown, Ohio
  • Michael Johnson, Captain, Rochester Hills, MI

WHO: Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, and U.S. Conference of Mayors President, Columbia, SC Mayor Steve Benjamin

WHAT: News Conference

WHEN: 12:45 p.m., Wednesday, April 10

WHERE: Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel, Prism Room, 444 North Summit St., Toledo, Ohio 43604