CINCINNATI — From free skating on the riverfront to more job opportunities and the return of the popular "Rec @ Nite", Cincinnati leaders are hoping expanded programs and services this summer will help the city reduce violent crime.
“In the summer months, (it’s) a tragic but real historical trend that violence typically increases," Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said, flanked by heads from multiple city departments.
Police Chief Teresa Theetge reported a decline in youth crime across several categories but said the city is eager to achieve even greater results. For example, incidents of “youth involved in unsafe activities,” like car theft, have already surpassed the totals for previous years.
You can watch the full breakdown of the city's efforts to combat youth violent crime below:
From Jan. 1 to May 14, shootings in the city dropped by over 30% compared to the same timeframe last year, according to data shared by the Cincinnati Police Department. Theetge said this year has seen the lowest number of shootings since 2010.
Skate Downtown Cincy is one of the city's partners committed to providing constructive outlets for young people through roller skating.
“When teens are here, they’re skating. They’re doing something that’s positive, healthy," Morgan Rigaud, Skate Downtown Cincy's Board President, told WCPO. "That inspires them to be with their friends; it’s social. And it’s offline, we’re getting them away from their phone where, actually, we know a lot of trouble starts on the phones.”
Christopher DuBose is a volunteer at Skate Downtown Cincy. He's been involved in skating for five years and is working with this organization for four years.
“When I came into the scene myself, going into rinks, I saw a lot of the youth going in doing 360s, working together, staying out of trouble and staying out the streets," DuBose said.
For skating enthusiast DuBose, gliding across the concrete surface is not only a passion, but it serves as a positive and safe escape.
"You in here, you safe, you actually being watched over, not only by the rink owners and everybody else," DuBose said. "But the community itself. We're making sure they're straight, we're not going to let anything happen to them. They come in here; they learn, they grow, they learn a lot about life."
All of the city's Summer in Cincy programs can be found here.
