CINCINNATI — Cincinnati city leaders are proposing new measures to combat crime in the downtown area following a violent fight that caught national attention just over a week ago.
There are two proposals that have emerged as council members prepare for Tuesday's public safety committee meeting.
Councilman Jeff Cramerding wants to allocate $2 million from general contingency funds for additional police officers and overtime to increase law enforcement presence in the area.
"Perception is a tough thing to hurdle," said Ricardo Grant, a downtown business owner.
Meanwhile, Councilmember Anna Albi is taking a different approach, filing a motion to use existing funds for community violence intervention specialists, additional security cameras and improved street lighting in key areas.
Learn more about the proposals in the video below:
"Crime is like absolutely terrible in Cincinnati," said Christy Penber, a Cincinnati taxpayer. "We should figure out the cause and effect of this, and if the cause is poverty, we probably should do something about that."
Andrew Naab, president of the Downtown Residents' Council, noted that crime typically increases during warmer months.
"We've seen the trend in over the past four years, is that there is a spike in crime and concern of safety over the summer months, especially in downtown and in Over the Rhine," Naab said.
Naab supports efforts to improve visibility in areas with poor lighting, particularly around vacant buildings.
"There are several undeveloped or vacant buildings. The way the physical infrastructure is currently built provides overhangs that are dimly lit. And so how can we focus on areas such as that?" Naab said.
The proposals also include engaging with parking lot operators to reduce firearms thefts from vehicles.
"We're looking for measurable results from our city. We want to know how can we measure the solutions and strategies that the city is implementing in the next fifteen, thirty, sixty and ninety days," Naab said.
The City Council's Public Safety Committee will discuss these proposals Tuesday morning.
