CINCINNATI — Cincinnati City Council has approved spending an additional $5.4 million this year on public safety efforts after a summer of highly-discussed violent crime incidents.
Council members agreed to tap mostly into the city's general fund to address police staffing, outreach programs and training and technology improvements.
While it is a lot of money, council member Meeka Owens said public safety should be one of the council's top concerns. You can see a full list of where the money is going at the end of this article.
"These are smart investments to reduce crime," she said during Wednesday's meeting.
Learn where some of the funding is going in the video below:
The proposal passed 6-3, with Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney and council members Scotty Johnson and Victoria Parks voting no.
There were some, at times, tense moments during Wednesday's meeting. So, we broke down what each council member said about the proposal and how they voted.
Council member Meeka Owens:
Owens was one of the sponsors of the proposal.
She said during Wednesday's meeting that city council should continue to make public safety one of its top priorities.
"I will never take my foot off the gas as it relates to the necessary investments around safety," Owens said.
Her proposal did come with some pushback from a few other council members, though. We caught up with her after the vote to ask her about some of the concerns voiced by the council members who voted against it.
"I was surprised, because in my mind, you can't put a price tag on safety and really, at the end of the day, it is the perception that our residents have and the more we invest into making sure people actually feel safe, that is extremely important," Owens said.
Owens said she hopes it sends a message to Cincinnatians that council is taking public safety concerns seriously.
Council member Jeff Cramerding:
Cramerding was another one of the sponsors of the proposal.
He addressed some of the concerns brought up during discussions on Monday. Cramerding said he feels it's important to show Cincinnati police officers that the funding is there for them if they need it.
He also said the funding won't just address concerns in OTR and in the central business district, but all across the city.
We caught up with Cramerding after the meeting as well.
"These are some short-term measures, we talked about some long-term measures and there's intermediate solutions as well.
Council member Scotty Johnson:
Johnson was one of the more vocal critics opposing the proposal during the meeting.
Johnson said that while there were some good things proposed, he called the motion "disingenuous." He said the Cincinnati Fire Department, which isn't getting money from the proposal, continues to be overlooked.
"I can support a lot of these measures, but not while our fire department is suffering from real emergencies," Johnson said.
He said Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge had only requested $500,000 for her department, and he said some of the money could be spent on the fire department. He said he feels at least $1 million should be allocated for the fire department.
He also proposed cutting some of the money going toward the 3CDC expanded ambassador program and spending it on the fire department.
Johnson also brought up concerns with the timing of the proposal. He said council didn't work to come up with a response to homicides that have occurred in the city, but rather brought it up after the late-July downtown brawl.
"A fight moved this council to come up with (the money) to address safety, but 40 plus homicides, this council didn't move for safety," Johnson said.
Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney:
Kearney also voiced her opposition to the proposal.
Like Johnson, Kearney said she believes many proponents of the proposal were fine, but felt some money wasn't being spent in the right place.
She said she felt the money going toward the 3CDC expanded ambassador program and license plate readers was unnecessary.
Instead, Kearney said council should focus on allocating funding for youth programs and community violence intervention.
"Why don't we take $1 million, put it in our work to youth program that our Cincinnati Recreation Department does, and get jobs for our young people?" Kearney said.
Kearney also voiced concern over the nearly $400,000 going to curfew centers. Since the start of the program, police say no young people have had to be sent to the curfew centers.
She said she feels a large part of the money is focusing too much on OTR and the central business district, and not on other parts of the city.
"I don't think this spending is equitable," Kearney said.
Council member Victoria Parks:
Parks didn't speak during Wednesday's vote, but she did vote against the proposal.
Parks did speak during Monday's discussion, voicing why she disagreed with the motion.
"I really do not like the idea of this council reacting to outsiders defining our city," Councilmember Victoria Parks said on Monday.
Parks recently faced backlash for comments she made regarding the violent downtown brawl, saying that people who were allegedly assaulted "begged for that beat down!"
Council member Mark Jeffreys:
Jeffreys didn't speak much during Wednesday's meeting, but did voice his support for the motion.
He acknowledged concerns over funding for the curfew centers, but said it was part of council's contractual obligations with the centers.
"It is good news that none of the kids need to be brought there and maybe that's learning for next year," Jeffreys said.
Council member Anna Albi:
Albi also voted in favor of the funding, calling it "another tool in the tool-belt" for the city and the police department.
She also emphasized that this money is just one of the ways that council has tried to make Cincinnati safer.
"Other pieces include money we put forward for housing... It's the money we put forward when it comes to providing food for folks, it's the money we put forward when it comes to pedestrian safety," Albi said. "All of these things matter when it comes to ensuring our city is as safe as it can be."
Albi also said she believes that there is still work to do.
"This is just a thorough addition to add on to what we're already doing," Albi said.
Council member Seth Walsh:
Walsh voted in favor of the motion, but said there are long systemic issues they need to solve, like police and firefighting staffing
"We’re going to always have to adjust," Walsh said.
Walsh implored other council members to continue to think about ways to push for solutions to those long-term issues.
Council member Evan Nolan:
Nolan also voted for the proposal and said he felt it was a good response to some of the safety concerns within the city.
He said council has been active in trying to help the police department with their response with public safety concerns, but he acknowledged there's more to do.
“I think what we’ve seen is some success, but not enough success," Nolan said.
Nolan said he understands that many people have the perception that the city is unsafe, and his hope is this funding can help improve those issues.
He also said he agrees with some of the comments made by Kearny and Johnson, and said he hopes they can work to address those concerns.
The long list of spending items includes:
- CPD public visibility & overtime — $1.2 million (if this isn't used by the end of the year, it goes toward something else, according to the ordinance)
- DOTE/CPD streetlighting and cameras — $1.2 million
- Mobile safety camera trailers — $100,000
- CPD West End camera expansion — $150,000
- Fusus expansion — $100,000: Cameras CPD can monitor, some in real-time, some if needed during an investigation
- License plate readers — $360,000: Money to replace the city's current license plate readers that officials say are more than 10 years old. The new readers would be able to connect to the Fusus network.
- CGIC/PIVOT drones — $40,000
- Drone expansion — $100,000
- 3CDC expanded ambassador program — $880,000: Money will add nine new ambassadors for a year. Ambassadors interface with the public, provide directions and offer other non-law enforcement assistance
- Bond and sentencing project — $250,000: Money to study data tracking bond and sentencing practices in Cincinnati and other cities in partnership with Hamilton County
- Curfew center — $195,000 for Lighthouse and $185,000 for Seven Hills: Since the start of the program, police say no young people have had to be sent to the curfew centers.
- Youth outreach workers — $200,000
- Findlay Market safety improvements — $150,000: Cameras and lighting on Race Street near Findlay Market
- CPD recruitment efforts — $90,000
- PIVOT specialized training — $30,000: PIVOT or Place-Based Investigations of Violent Offender Territories.
