CINCINNATI - Crime doesn't respect boundaries. That's why Cincinnati's new police chief says he wants to reinvigorate the cooperation between the city and suburban police departments.
In this day of home-grown terrorism, Chief Eliot Isaac is quickly spreading the word that no police department can afford to act on its own. Close cooperation among police agencies means better citizen safety.
When Mariemont police officer Stephen Watt goes on patrol, he knows colleagues from surrounding departments will have his back if he needs help.
"There's not a run that we don't go on that you don't turn around and there's an officer from Cincinnati District 2 or Fairfax, Newtown, even as far up on the hill as Indian Hill," Watt said.
Case in point: Friday's stop in Newtown where police thought they nabbed two persons on a list of known terrorists.
Officers from multiple departments swamed the scene.
"You can't do your job without a cooperative agreement with these other departments," Watt said.
Those agreements will be even stronger now that Isaac is Cincinnati's top cop.
"The Cincinnati Police Department will continue to lead, not by words, but with action," Isaac proclaimed at his ceremonial swearing-in Monday. "We will continue not only to protect you, but to serve you as well."
Mariemont's Watt has already seen those words turned into action.
"I was talking to a District 2 guy this morning -- one of the detectives. He is on them already. It's not just a city boundary, it's a law enforcement community. You need to be there for each other," Watt said.
Mariemont Chief Rick Hines agreed.
"We've always had a great working relationship with the Cincinnati Police Department in Mariemont and I know that that will continue," Hines said.
Isaac says he has already attended meetings of the Hamilton County police chiefs association to make sure law enforcement is seamless across the county.
