What we can learn from Ohio State Highway Patrol data
Ohio State Highway Patrol data is a particularly interesting dataset due to its statewide nature, accessibility, and detail. For example, Ohio State Highway Patrol data includes detailed Ohio Revised Code information for each incident, providing exceptional incident-level granularity. Further, one could argue that Ohio State Highway Patrol data on drug arrests/violations is a reasonable proxy for some statewide drug arrest/violation trends, though concrete conclusions about statewide trends should only be drawn from data containing all Ohio law enforcement agencies.
This page aims to inform discussion on general drug crime trends, repeat drug and OVI offenders, how law enforcement staffing levels impact drug arrests, and drug enforcement trends following the passage of drug-related legislation. The reports on the page employed unique data provided by the Ohio State Highway Patrol that encompasses early-stage criminal justice outcomes (e.g., arrests and citations) rather than convictions and includes a law enforcement agency that covers the many geographic regions of Ohio.
NOTE: This page does not incorporate citations. Download the reports below to find the full list of sources and references used.
Reports and studies using OSHP data
The following reports were generated using data provided by the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP).
Repeat OVI Offenders in Ohio: A Descriptive Study
The current paper seeks to identity typologies of repeat OVI offenders in Ohio using data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Specific areas of analysis include gender, race/ethnicity, and whether the OVI arrest had a co-occurring drug offense. The results showed that males were more often arrested for repeat OVI offenses than females, and that Black and White individuals (both males and females) had the highest probability of a repeat OVI arrest when compared to the Hispanic and Other categories. Additionally, the overall results showed that the percentage of repeat OVI offenders with no co-occurring drug offenses was similar to the percentage of repeat OVI offenders with co-occurring drug offenses.
Examining Differences in the Likelihood of an OVI Arrest Across Race/Ethnicity and Gender Using Ohio State Highway Patrol Data
The current paper aimed to estimate the likelihood of an OVI (operating vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs) arrest across race/ethnicity and gender using data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP). Black and Hispanic males and females had higher probabilities of an OVI arrest than White males and females. However, males and females in the other category had lower probabilities of an OVI arrest than White males and females. For gender differences, males in all race/ethnicity categories had higher probabilities of an OVI arrest than females.
Examining Differences in the Likelihood of a Drug Arrest Violation Across Race Ethnicity and Gender Using Ohio State Highway Patrol Data
The current paper builds upon previous research and seeks to estimate the likelihood of a drug arrest/violation across race/ethnicity and gender using data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Research seeking to identify disparities is important as appropriate policy interventions to address concerns about inequities can only be soundly explored after the identification of any disparities. This paper begins with a discussion of the data and analytic strategy. In the subsequent section, results are presented. It is critical for readers to understand that this study only seeks to identify if racial/ethnic disparities in drug arrests/violations exist and does not seek to identify the underlying causes of any disparities. Therefore, any results of this study should not be used to imply that the enforcement practices of the Ohio State Highway Patrol are discriminatory in any way.
An Overview of Ohio State Highway Patrol Drug Incidents and Directions for Future Research
The current paper provides a detailed overview of Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) drug incidents from 1/1/2019 to 6/5/2024. There are several noteworthy findings from the data. First, the data showed that over a third of drug incidents involved multiple drug offenses. Second, there seemed to be a major decline in drug offenses from 2019 to June 2024. Research exploring the source of this drop would be important. Third, the most common type of possession offense was for marijuana, except for 2024, likely due to the legalization of recreational marijuana. However, it is interesting to note that marijuana was still the second most common possession offense in 2024. Informed by these findings, several directions for future research are proposed.
Are Reductions in Ohio State Highway Patrol Staffing Levels Associated with Drops in Drug and OVI Arrests?
Previous research found that Ohio State Highway Patrol drug arrests/violations significantly declined from 2018-2023. The current study sought to determine whether decreased numbers of drug and OVI arrests were associated with decreased Ohio State Highway Patrol sworn staffing levels. The results showed that, after controlling for several factors, decreased Ohio State Highway Patrol sworn staffing levels were associated with decreased numbers of drug and OVI arrests. Interpolation was used to create daily staffing levels from Ohio State Highway Patrol data that listed staffing levels for each year. It should be noted that interpolation of daily values from yearly values is certainly not ideal, meaning this research should be considered exploratory. It would be highly recommended to utilize actual daily staff levels where possible.
An Examination of Marijuana Paraphernalia Incidents Before and After Ohio’s Vote to Legalize Recreational Marijuana
This paper examined whether there were differences in the number of Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) marijuana paraphernalia offenses before Ohio's vote to legalize marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia, after the vote but before formal implementation, and after official implementation. Because of the difference in dates between passage and implementation, it could be reasonable to expect changes in both citizen behaviors and law enforcement practices post-vote, but before implementation in Ohio. The results showed no statistically significant or meaningful differences when comparing incident counts before the vote and after the vote but before implementation. But the results did show statistically and substantively significant differences between the post-implementation period and both other pre-implementation periods. These results indicated that OSHP did not meaningfully alter their enforcement practices until the changes in law were officially implemented.
Did Michigan’s Legalization of Recreational Marijuana and Ohio’s Legalization of Medical Marijuana Increase Marijuana OVI Arrests in Ohio?
The current study used Ohio State Highway Patrol data to explore whether Michigan’s legalization of recreational marijuana and Ohio’s legalization of medical marijuana increased arrests for operating a vehicle while impaired (OVI) by marijuana in Ohio. Overall, a conservative examination of the results did not support the hypothesis that Michigan’s legalization of recreational marijuana and Ohio’s legalization of medical marijuana increased marijuana OVI arrests in Ohio. However, strong conclusions should not be drawn from this study as the results must be replicated using data from other Ohio law enforcement agencies and perhaps extended time periods. Additionally, our results may not be generalizable to other outcomes such as OVI-related crashes.