CINCINNATI — Residents in several Cincinnati neighborhoods are pushing for the revival of the Citizens on Patrol program as a solution to rising crime rates in their communities.
At WCPO's recent community conversation on crime solutions, residents voiced strong support for bringing back the initiative they believe could help address these ongoing challenges with violent crime.
"We believe that the program is really good," said Sharon Buckner, a Cuf neighborhood resident. "It's really helpful, and we think that it's going to come back."
"I think it's just very important that we do Citizens on Patrol because they're the backbone of our communities and they know exactly what's going on in our communities," said Lisa Matthews, an Avondale resident, during Tuesday's conversation.
Buckner and her husband, Rolf Kuhn, have lived in the Cuf neighborhood for decades and participated in Citizens on Patrol for more than 20 years.
"We did safety checks throughout the neighborhood," Kuhn said. "We were distributing flyers over in Corryville and noticed somebody's front door had been broken into. I reported it, they showed up, and the guy was still in the house. So, they apprehended this guy!"
The push comes as crime statistics show concerning trends in the CUF neighborhood. Burglaries have jumped from 30 at this time last year to 79 so far this year. Auto theft is also up, and personal theft has risen dramatically, with 216 reported incidents compared to fewer than 100 last year.
Watch Cuf residents share more about how Citizen on Patrols impacts neighborhoods below:
According to the Cincinnati Police Department, the Citizens on Patrol program currently has "about 50 plus active citizen volunteers." The department acknowledged losing "a lot of participation during and following COVID," and they say they are currently working to revamp the program.
"It's needed in light of everything that's going on," Buckner said.
When asked about their patrol activities, Kuhn explained, "It's just crowd monitoring. You don't actually try to control the crowd, but you direct people where they need to go."
Buckner emphasized the psychological impact of the program.
"One of the most powerful elements of people with a blue shirt on that says 'Cincinnati Police' in big letters, the patrol car is emblazoned with 'Cincinnati Police'—so what this amounts to is presence," Buckner said.
As for how CPD could strengthen the program, Buckner suggested more engagement from CPD.
"They're going to have to go to community meetings where a lot of residents show up," Buckner said. "They're going to have to advertise."
