CINCINNATI — Cincinnati police are committed to keeping the city safe, according to Chief Teresa Theetge. She assured the community of that promise in a nearly nine-minute video Tuesday night.
Theetge released the statement in response to the deadly stabbing of Patrick Heringer inside his Over-the-Rhine home on June 4. His wife, Sarah, sat down with Theetge and Mayor Aftab Pureval after making repeated calls for Cincinnati officials to provide answers on why the suspect accused of murder was "walking free" after cutting his ankle monitor and committing a burglary earlier this year.
In her public Facebook post, Heringer also raised the alarm over an alleged rise in violent crime in the city, accusing the Cincinnati Police Department of not having enough officers patrolling the streets. Theetge addressed those concerns.
"Let me reassure our community — we are not compromising control. We will not reduce visibility where it matters most on your streets, in your neighborhoods," Theetge said. "When we must reallocate resources, we pull from administrative units, not from those who answer your calls for 911."
Theetge reiterated data that she has stressed in the past — that shootings and homicides are down in the city from last year. The former are down 26%, she said.
But are Heringer's claims accurate when it comes to overall violent crime across the city? We looked into the data, and it says yes.
Violent crime by the numbers
The city breaks down violent crimes into five types: homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and strangulation.
According to CincyInsights, the city's crime data dashboard, the number of violent crimes reported so far this year is 818. That compares to 813 reported during the same time last year.
While that's less than a 1% increase citywide, some individual neighborhoods are seeing significant increases.
Watch here to see how violent crime has risen across Cincinnati and the solutions officials are looking into:
In Avondale, data shows violent crime rose from three reported incidents to 10 during the past month. Evanston reported an increase from one to seven. Violent crimes rose from five to 11 in West Price Hill.
In Over-the-Rhine, violent crimes more than doubled from seven to 18 in the past month. OTR's incidents were split between robberies, aggravated assaults and Patrick Heringer's homicide.
"I think we're a little bit weary now that all of the crime has been going on," Claire Sullivan said.
We spoke with her as she walked with her friend through Findlay Market on Wednesday. Most of the recent violent crimes reported in OTR occurred north of Liberty Street.
"We try to stay around the more populated areas just because there has been an increase in crime and less safe feelings," Cari Powers said. "So yeah, kind of staying within the Findlay Market circle and then around that, at least if you are walking around there, at least walking with a buddy and definitely being cautious if you are walking by yourself."
Travis Grace feels differently about safety in OTR. Visiting with his family from out of town, he told us he's used to places with higher crime rates.
"Well, we're originally from New Orleans, and New Orleans gets a bad rap for being bad," Grace said. "But we haven't had any problems here."
Despite his positive sentiments, Grace said he had a conversation with some people who told him their cars were broken into over the weekend while they were at a wedding in OTR. Sullivan said she's always concerned about parking on the street in the neighborhood.
"I feel like, with the break-ins and things, finding places that are safe to park your car. I mean, we drive here. We don't live in this exact area. So, I don't want to just put my car in this area," Sullivan said.
Those concerns are not unfounded. In her video statement, Theetge acknowledged the recent rise in property crimes across the city.
"That demands our continued attention," Theetge said.
Though many neighborhoods are reporting an uptick in violent crime, some are seeing decreases.
Westwood dropped by nearly half from 17 to 9 reported incidents during the past month. Incidents went from 6 to 4 in College Hill. Violent crimes dropped from 9 to 1 in East Price Hill.
You can find a full list of neighborhood reports on the city's website.
What's the solution?
Theetge stressed the need to hire more police officers to boost patrols and improve safety.
With looming retirements, the city needs more boots on the ground, Theetge said.
CPD has a sworn complement of 1,059 officers. The department is currently down around 130 officers. Though recruit classes aim to close the gap, the deficit has persisted over the years as CPD loses more officers to retirement faster than it can grow.
Ken Kober, president of Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #69, said the force is feeling the strain.
"I think it's a combination of being overwhelmed and tired," Kober said. "Officers are asked routinely to work overtime. You know, 'Come in on your off time. Come in on your off day. Stay extra. Come in before your shift because we just don't have enough officers.' And they're doing it, but they're getting tired as we get into summer."
Kober said he was pleased to hear Theetge's statement. He met with her on Wednesday to discuss shortfalls and solutions.
"I'm glad that she's committed to getting more officers on the street. I'm glad that she has recognized that we are short," Kober said.
There is a plan in the works. Theetge announced it in her video statement, and Kober doubled down on it when he spoke with us.
The city will invest in a new academy class for already certified police officers. The lateral training class would be less costly than a traditional cadet academy and take less time to complete.
"I met with the city's budget and finance committee, and I suspect next week is when they're going to come out announcing that they are funding that lateral class, which is that first actionable step in the right direction to get more cops on the street," Kober said.
The city is expected to allocate $10 million for the academy. Once it is established, it will take years to train officers and get CPD's complement back to a comfortable position, Kober said. In the meantime, he said he wants the community to know the city is keeping safety top of mind.
"We are doing everything we can to keep you safe but understand that personal safety begins with yourself because the police cannot be there every day, all day, every minute that you need them. Because it's going to take time if something's occurring for an officer to get there," said Kober. "So, it starts with your personal protection, but understand that we are going to do everything we possibly can to make this city as safe as it can be."
