Despite fewer shootings and homicides in the past few years, violent crime has surged in Cincinnati this month. That rise has not gone unnoticed by city leaders who are rolling out efforts to address the spike and improve safety.
Mayor Aftab Pureval joined City Manager Cheryl Long and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge at City Hall on Tuesday to detail new initiatives and programs.
"This last month has been a real challenge," Pureval said. "Particularly in hotspot, concentrated areas where these crimes persist."
Ironically, Theetge said crime was trending downward before May 13, when the city unveiled its summer safety plan. That trend has reversed in the days since.
Theetge said violent crimes occur in roughly 5% of the city's geographical area. Data indicates most people are falling victim to property crimes.
These include burglaries, breaking and entering incidents, auto thefts and thefts from auto.
"I'm not going to lie, we get hammered with thefts from autos. A large percentage of that time, these are young individuals breaking into cars specifically looking for firearms," Theetge said.
See how Cincinnati leaders plan to address the recent rise in crime across the city:
What's Next?
Theetge said the city can expect a new roving task force. Currently, each of the city's four police districts includes a Violent Crime Squad (VCS) that consists of five to eight officers and a sergeant. CPD will now pull those resources together to create a group of 20 to 30 officers and a handful of supervisors to address violent crimes in the city.
Theetge plans to have the effort run through September. She will then evaluate the results and determine if the task force should continue.
The chief stressed her commitment to hiring more police officers. The department is currently more than 100 officers short of the full sworn complement of 1,059 officers.
In addition to the current recruiting program, which aims to produce two graduating classes of 50 officers a year, the city will soon host a lateral recruiting program.
City council approved funds last week to allow already certified officers to join CPD's ranks. Lateral programs are shorter and less costly than traditional recruiting programs because incoming hires already have law enforcement experience.
There is no timeline for when it would get underway, but Pureval said the hope is to add 30 additional officers each year through the lateral program.
CPD will fully roll out its new Drone as First Responder (DFR) program by the end of July. Some drones are already in use.
The drones are equipped with cameras, spotlights and speakers. One was used over the weekend at the banks to assist with crowd control and dispersal.
"This past weekend, we witnessed hundreds of kids out across the city with no chaperones. That is not safe. Parents, we need your help. Know where your children are. Set boundaries, be present. With the resources now in place, there is no reason for children to be wandering the streets at night. There are places for them to go," Long said.
Drones will be able to cover 90% of the city by the end of the year, Theetge said. Noting possible security and privacy concerns, Theetge said there will be limitations on when and where they can be deployed.
Theetge spent several minutes detailing a new initiative she described as "particularly interesting" — the Parental Accountability Initiative.
She said she would meet with the city's legal department on Tuesday afternoon to discuss options for implementing it.
"I need that tool for the officers to go out and finish the work they're doing after they make an arrest of the juvenile. They need to be able to hold parents accountable," Theetge said. "Parents should know where their kids are at all times. They should know who they are with at all times and they should know what they are doing at all times. Police should not be the ones knowing where they are and what they are doing. That is a parent's job."
Theetge gave an example of a recent arrest involving a juvenile whose alleged criminal history began two years ago, breaking into cars at the museum center when he was just 11.
"Last week, we had a stolen car in the West End. Officers see it; they go to stop it. Several young, very young individuals run from the car. One individual is pursued by several officers. They ultimately capture him, put him under arrest, and just prior to them putting their hands on him, he threw down a firearm that had a drum magazine attached to it, capable of holding 15 rounds. That individual was 13 years old... he had shot somebody in Northern Kentucky — was found adjudicated on that charge," Theetge said. "So, mom, dad, you can't say you didn't know. You cannot tell me you didn't know."
The city will be expanding its Shot Spotter program. The recent budget included additional funding to add the technology in Winton Hills.
Theetge said the community asked for it, and after reviewing crime data in the neighborhood, the city deemed it a worthwhile expense.
The city implores businesses and residents to consider enrolling in the FUSUS program. The camera connection system would allow CPD to access security cameras.
"They could get a modem through FUSUS — through us, through FUSUS ... now there is some minor expense to this, but it is a wonderful tool to be able to elevate our investigations closer in real time. So an officer could, they'd get dispatched, for example, to a call in Westwood and maybe a business up there is partaking in our FUSUS endeavors, and the officer can look in real time while they're going to the call to see what's going on using that company's camera system," Theetge said. "I would love to see our phone ringing off the hook, people wanting to partake in our FUSUS technology. It would be better for the city."
CPD will expand its license plate reader system. The department currently works with Vigilant to provide the technology, but is now exploring other vendors, including Flock, which is used in several surrounding cities.
The city will also rejuvenate its parking lot assessment programs. Officers will meet with parking lot and garage owners, do a safety assessment, formulate grades and make those scores public.
"So, if someone is coming downtown for an event, you will be able to tell where the safest place to park my car is," Theetge said.
The Status Quo
Last week, Theetge ordered more patrols in northern Over-the-Rhine to increase visibility in response to a jump in violent crime. She did so through Police Visibility Overtime (PVO).
Similar PVO initiatives have been done in the past, and will continue to happen in crime hotspots throughout the summer, Theetge said.
CPS has focused on problem-solving projects for the past few months. Officers focused on Mount Echo Park recently in response to issues with "quality of life," Theetge said. In CUF and Corryville, officers recently launched a problem-solving project focused on residential burglaries.
