CINCINNATI — Cincinnati city leaders announced it will expand city-provided activities and programming for youth while continuing to adapt the Cincinnati Police Department's strategies, all in the hopes of curbing crime this summer.
City leaders highlighted its Summer in Cincy program and the activities available through Cincinnati Recreation Centers and the Cincinnati Parks department this summer.
Tiffany Stewart, with the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, announced that Rec at Nite will expand its programs to four new recreation centers this summer:
- Evanston
- Winton Hills
- Lincoln
- Hirsch
The events will again be held — for free — every Saturday night, giving kids access to swimming, sports, e-sports, music and more, Stewart said.
In addition, for the second year in a row, city officials said all 24 of Cincinnati's public pools will open this summer.
At Cincinnati parks, there will be summer camp opportunities and the teen skate nights at Sawyer Point will expand to even more weeks than last summer.
Jason Barron, with Cincinnati Parks, said last year the teen skate events were held on 13 weeks, during which over 1,500 teens attended throughout the summer. Barron said around 70% of teens attending that event lived within a handful of miles of Sawyer Point and came from households making under $50,000.
City Manager Sheryl Long said while these activities are happening, the city's curfew for youth will remain in place; that curfew begins at 9 p.m. in the city's urban core, and at 11 p.m. elsewhere in the city.
The Summer in Cincy program isn't new. Last year, city officials announced the idea and detailed its rollout, which included an expansion of Rec at Nite events in Cincinnati rec centers, summer camps and opening all of the city's public pools for the first summer in years.
Each year, crime in Cincinnati rises during the summer months, but it's not a problem that's specific to Cincinnati. National data from the FBI shows that nationwide crime and violent crime uptick each year in the summer months, then drop off significantly around October.
In Cincinnati, the data trend is no different: Each year brings a rise in crime that starts in May and lasts until roughly October.
Despite several high profile incidents captured on video during the summer of 2025, last year saw a drop in shootings overall compared with the two prior years. According to Cincinnati Police Department data on CincyInsights, there were 313 shootings in the City of CIncinnati in 2023. That dropped a bit to 296 shootings in all of 2024. Then, in 2025, there were 241 shootings.
So far this year, as of April 30, there have been 69 shootings.
