COLUMBUS, Ohio — There’s a renewed focus on the topic of gun access in cities across Ohio now that the U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis. In Columbus, police are searching for at least four suspects responsible for a mass shooting that sent ten people to the hospital early Sunday morning.

“We’re going to do whatever it takes to make sure that the Short North is safe, and that neighborhoods throughout our city are safe,” said Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther.

Mayor Ginther joined Short North Alliance Executive Director Betsy Pandora and Columbus Division of Police Asst. Chief LaShanna Potts Thursday to announce some safety improvements heading to the Short North and other city neighborhoods. Mayor Ginther said the plan is partly a result of discussions Tuesday evening with businesses and residents who participate in the Short North Violence and Injury Prevention Work Group.

“How we as a community in a growing city, one of the fastest-growing cities in the country and one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in that city, can contribute thoughts and ideas, as we continue to grow,” Pandora said.

Much of the strategy in the Short North specifically is focused on improving visibility by adding more lighting, upping the number of security cameras in the area and boosting the number of police patrols, especially in targeted areas during peak times known for seeing more violent activity. Ginther said the officers will be in uniform and plain clothes. They will patrol by bike and on foot.

“And those officers won’t be coming from other neighborhoods,” he said. “This will all be in addition to officers responding to calls for service all over the community.”

Something he said you won’t see is kids unsupervised after dark.

He said police are prepared to enforce a citywide curfew starting an hour after dusk for kids 12 and under, and starting at midnight for teens. The curfews will last until 4:30 a.m., unless the child has direct adult supervision.

“Parents need to be parents,” Potts said. “We’ll do our part, but the community has to do their part.”

Potts said the division of police is working to increase community input and engagement with the hope of getting kids to feel like they’re a part of the solution, and learn other ways to resolve disputes than reaching for a weapon.

“Pouring into them so that they can know there’s another way,” she said.

“There have always been neighborhood beefs,” Ginther said. “We’ve had gangs in this country probably since the beginning of the nation. The issue is access to guns. We have a gun problem in America, and certainly a gun problem in Ohio.”

With Sunday’s shooting, Potts said they’re taking their time to build solid cases against the suspects and thanked the community for calling in leads, asking for the flow of information to continue. A $10,000 reward from the ATF is still an option for anyone who shares credible information, leading to an arrest and conviction.

“If they’re shooting in the Short North, they could be shooting in any community across the country and across the city,” she said. “So for us, this is important to get violent offenders off the street.

Ginther said he is calling on state and federal lawmakers to help keep firearms out of kids’ reach, and is encouraging people to learn more about gun violence and current laws in place.

“It’s easier in Ohio to get a gun than a job,” he said. “There’s something wrong with that.”

He said the goal isn’t to restrict legal access to guns, but to make it harder for children to get their hands on them.

“By having guns in the wrong hands, they put our officers at risk, they put children at risk, they put our families at risk,” Ginther said. “That’s all we’re asking for, is to lead. And if they don’t have the courage to lead, get out of the way and let mayors do what we need to do to protect our community.”