CINCINNATI — Mayor Aftab Pureval on Wednesday laid out the city's current public safety plan amid questions about crime and safety in Cincinnati.
While the mayor said crime data and reported shootings are down year-over-year city-wide, he acknowledged the statistics in Cincinnati's downtown neighborhoods do not match the rest of the city.
"The perception of safety, particularly in the urban core, and the stats, particularly in the urban core, do not reflect that," Pureval said.
Safety plans addressing downtown crime
To address the increased crime, Pureval spoke about the city's ongoing and new efforts in the following focus areas: The Banks, Central Business District and Over-the-Rhine.
In addition to regular Cincinnati police patrols, Cincinnati has added walking patrols manned by both CPD and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. Those patrols are in the afternoon and evening in the following areas:
- The Banks
- Fourth Street
- Fountain Square
- Court Street
- Washington Park
- Ziegler Park
- Main Street
- Vine Street
- Race and Liberty streets
The mayor said the Civil Disturbance Response Team, SWAT and new street crimes task force have also been deployed to high-traffic areas during peak hours. Those areas include:
- The Banks
- Fourth Street
- Fountain Square
- Main Street
- Race and Liberty streets
- Republic Street
Those patrols include the area where a violent fight took place on the intersection of 4th and Elm streets on July 26. That fight garnered national attention and resulted in officials like Sen. Bernie Moreno calling on the city to explain its plan to address violence.
3CDC will also have ambassador and supervisory staff working at all 3CDC-managed garages 24/7, the mayor said. The developer stated it will also give CPD access to its entire camera system in the Central Business District and Over-the-Rhine.
In addition, Pureval spoke about Gov. Mike DeWine's offer of additional Ohio State Highway Patrol resources to free up CPD resources, saying OSHP will patrol the highways for traffic enforcement to allow Cincinnati officers to focus on violent crimes.
The city will also utilize OSHP's aerial surveillance to support CPD's street crimes task force and partner with the state to address parole violations.
Pureval noted Cincinnati City Council has also allocated $2 million from the city's General Fund Contingency Account that is meant to support police recruitment classes, overtime, technology updates (including on lighting and surveillance cameras) and additional 3CDC ambassadors.
Safety plans addressing youth violence
The mayor also laid out the city's efforts to address youth violence, saying curfews recently passed by Cincinnati City Council will be enforced starting this week. Those ordinances state the following:
- There is a city-wide curfew time of 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. for all unaccompanied minors under the age of 18.
- A designated area, including the Central Business District and Over-the-Rhine, will have a curfew between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., with some exceptions, for all unaccompanied minors under the age of 18.
Here is the district where the second curfew will be enforced:
Anyone who breaks curfew will first be told by an officer to go home. If they do not comply, CPD officers can then take them to the newly-created curfew center at Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses, where staff will take up the job of contacting the child's parent or guardian.
The facility will have food, water and a safe place for them to wait until their parent or guardian can be contacted.
If a child cannot go home or does not have a home, Pureval said they will be taken to Lighthouse Youth & Family Services.
"The point of this is to save kids," Pureval said. "We want to prevent them from being victims of crime and we want to prevent having to create a criminal record on a kid that will follow them for the rest of their lives."
The Parks Board also approved changes to five downtown parks in connection with the curfew. The following locations will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.:
- The Public Landing
- Smale Riverfront Park
- Piatt Park
- Washington Park
- Ziegler Park
Pureval also noted the city's restrictions on Red Bike, Lime and Bird rentals in the urban core from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Additionally, as the school year begins, the city and SORTA have worked to address concerns about youth at Government Square. Last year, we repeatedly covered a rash of youth violence in the area near the transit center.
The mayor said they will be reducing student pass hours to 5 p.m. for those who take public transit to and from school. Metro will also implement restrictions to ensure students do not transfer through the Government Square transit center if it is not needed.
Pureval said the nearby liquor store where problems have previously occurred will be relocated and replaced with a Metro security officer that can monitor the transit center.
As the summer continues, Pureval said the city will continue to provide updates on how its safety plan is working and any future interventions.
"If you feel unsafe, irrespective of what the data says, that's a problem. That's a problem for me to solve," said Pureval.
