Fed up with crime

Residents give police, city officials an earful on violence

BY DAN KLEPAL | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

September 13, 2006

 

AVONDALE - They were black and white, old and young, loud and quiet.

 

Scores of people came to City Council's Law and Public Safety Committee meeting Tuesday night to prod and plead for more efforts to reduce crime, specifically violent crime that has risen in some neighborhoods.

 

More than 100 people attended the meeting at the Hirsch Community Center.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEWS01/609130372

 

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Making Glenway Avenue safer

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

September 13, 2006

 

WEST PRICE HILL- Police, businesses, educators and community groups are mobilizing to improve the quality of life along Glenway Avenue in Price Hill, Westwood and Green Township.

 

The public is invited to a presentation at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, 4990 Glenway Avenue, for the introduction of the Western Corridor Safe City project, says the Cincinnati Police Department.

 

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEWS01/309130013

Council: Crime top priority

BY DAN KLEPAL | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

September 13, 2006

 

CINCINNATI - Cincinnati City Council is expected to pass an ordinance at todays meeting that will make fighting crime the top priority in next year's budget.

 

There are three items that make up the issue on todays agenda:

 

-- Adding 100 additional officers to street patrols.

 

 

E-mail [email protected]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEWS01/309130017

Council: Hire 100 new cops

Critics say it would mean layoff of other staffers

BY DAN KLEPAL | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

September 14, 2006

 

CINCINNATI - One hundred new police officers could be headed for Cincinnati streets over the next two years.

 

A majority of Cincinnati council members voted Wednesday on a series of motions that will place public safety front and center when administrators begin crafting the 2007-08 two-year budget.

 

 

E-mail [email protected]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060914/NEWS01/609140370/1077

Council also committed to:

 

Spending about $6 million on cameras with shooting-sensor technology. Sensors are activated at the sound of gunshots, the cameras zoom in and alert police.

 

Wow!  Anybody have any additional info on this?  Does this mean the rumored Federal funding came through?  Is this for the Price Hill/Target safe pathways project or citywide?  Anybody?

But a quick glance of violent crime rates in surrounding cities doesn't appear to prove that out.

 

The most recent FBI crime figures from 2004 show that for every 100,000 Cincinnatians, there were 1148 violent crimes, compared to Cleveland's 1294.

 

Toledo's violent crime rated only 1055, while Indianapolis came in at just 893.

 

Louisville, the city the chief mentioned, had only 525 violent crimes per 100,000.

 

Marsokis says Cincinnati and Louisville can't easily be compared because Cincinnati's number is the city crime rate, while Louisville is really a county-wide rate.

 

As one who grimaces with pain everytime I have to calculate 20% on a restaurant check, I have to ask, isn't Marsokis right here?  Both Louisville and Indianapolis have united county-city governments, meaning that there are more Louisvilliards and Indianapolites than there are Cincinnatians.  So, if my thinking is correct, by saying ___ violent crimes per 100,000 persons you are by the nature of the calculation making it look like Cincinnati has more violent crime than you would if you just took the average.  Am I right about this?

Surveillance cameras to line Glenway Avenue

BY WILLIAM A. WEATHERS | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

September 15, 2006

 

COVEDALE - City officials unveiled a program Thursday designed to improve the safety and quality of life along the Glenway Avenue corridor on the city's West Side.

 

One component of the Western Corridor Safe City Project, a partnership of law enforcement, businesses, schools and community groups, will be a network of about 30 surveillance cameras placed along a 6.5-mile section of Glenway.

 

E-mail [email protected]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060915/NEWS01/609150365/1056

"We have a city that is burning," Council Member Leslie Ghiz said. "We need to pour every dollar into making the streets safe."

 

I'm sorry but, Leslie Ghiz is an idiot....what is she trying to say by "We have a city that is burning".....what do we need better fire protection?  I get what she is trying to say, but why not just say our city is crumbling/deteriorating or something along those lines.  I don't think we're at the point where it is 'burning'.

 

I think she just likes to use colorful words/comments to draw attention to herself/her issues.  She is a joke!

But a quick glance of violent crime rates in surrounding cities doesn't appear to prove that out.

 

The most recent FBI crime figures from 2004 show that for every 100,000 Cincinnatians, there were 1148 violent crimes, compared to Cleveland's 1294.

 

Toledo's violent crime rated only 1055, while Indianapolis came in at just 893.

 

Louisville, the city the chief mentioned, had only 525 violent crimes per 100,000.

 

Marsokis says Cincinnati and Louisville can't easily be compared because Cincinnati's number is the city crime rate, while Louisville is really a county-wide rate.

 

As one who grimaces with pain everytime I have to calculate 20% on a restaurant check, I have to ask, isn't Marsokis right here?  Both Louisville and Indianapolis have united county-city governments, meaning that there are more Louisvilliards and Indianapolites than there are Cincinnatians.  So, if my thinking is correct, by saying ___ violent crimes per 100,000 persons you are by the nature of the calculation making it look like Cincinnati has more violent crime than you would if you just took the average.  Am I right about this?

 

If one assumes less crime in the suburbs, then Louisville and Indianapolis are both diluting their Crime-Per-100K figures with loads of crime-free suburbanites, whereas Cincinnati is cutting the crime-free suburbs out of their figures.

 

So yes, I personally believe you are correct.  I think we've had disagreements on this subject in the past as it relates to Columbus vs. Cincinnati/Cleveland for other statistics, and I don't think I followed those arguments closely enough to know if I'm wrong on this or not - but I believe you're right, they're apples and oranges.  Though very intelligent people may disagree with me, and they may be correct...

 

Talk about hedging...Christ...I should run for congress...

 

"We have a city that is burning," Council Member Leslie Ghiz said. "We need to pour every dollar into making the streets safe."

 

I'm sorry but, Leslie Ghiz is an idiot....what is she trying to say by "We have a city that is burning".....what do we need better fire protection?  I get what she is trying to say, but why not just say our city is crumbling/deteriorating or something along those lines.  I don't think we're at the point where it is 'burning'.

 

I think she just likes to use colorful words/comments to draw attention to herself/her issues.  She is a joke!

 

I'm glad someone else called out this twit for making this ridiculous statement.  As a friend of mine said, she's the new Alicia Reece when it comes to grandstanding.  Anyone with the opportunity should not vote for Ms. Ghiz simply for the above statement.

 

Speaking of grandstanding, I think it's typical that no one in the media gets on Ghiz for making a ridiculous comment like this the way they would have for a similar comment by a councilor from, say, Bond Hill.  Is it because Ghiz is white?  I suspect that it is.  I say this as someone who hasn't been to the beach since July 2004.

The following is from "Over the Barrel; Vol. 1" about Cincinnati's bars & breweries before prohibition.

 

"Many middle-class, native Cincinnatians also opined that German and Irish immigrants collected a disproportionate share of the city's poor relief funds, boosted the crime rate-particularly in terms of felony and violent crimes-and property tax levels, and promoted immoral activities such as brawling, drunkenness, prostitution, and gambling."

 

It sounds a lot like how OTR would be described now. I thought it was interesting . . . 

Homicide rate 15th in nation

Total violent crime here 34th of 254 largest cities

BY GREGORY KORTE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

Cincinnati has the 15th-highest homicide rate in the country among big cities, federal statistics released Monday show.

 

The overall rate of violent crime - including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault - puts Cincinnati 34th out of the 254 cities of 100,000 population or more, according to an analysis of the FBI's uniform crime reports. Cincinnati is the 56th largest city in the nation.

 

 

E-mail [email protected]

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060919/NEWS01/609190363/1056/rss02

 

Here is the list of the homicide rates for the top 253 cities (cities 100,000+):

http://cincinnatidatadesk.com/pages/homiciderate.htm

 

34th in violent crime, in the center city of the 34th largest MSA. Doesn't sound too bad to me.

 

[Correction: 24th largest MSA, so even better]

I'm no lawyer, but this guy shoots a guy sitting in his car 5 or 6 times and gets voluntary manslaughter? Come on, "he was provoked". This allows you to shoot a guy and not be charged with murder?

 

Oba's killer gets 13 years

BY DAN HORN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

The trial of the man who killed Kabaka Oba ended today with the kind of anger and outrage Oba was known for in life.

 

Obas furious relatives walked out of court moments before Judge Norbert Nadel imposed a 13-year prison sentence on Howard Beatty, who was convicted of shooting Oba outside City Hall in April.

 

Although the sentence was the maximum possible for voluntary manslaughter, Obas friends and family were angered when they judge refused to allow Obas brother to speak in court.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060921/NEWS01/309210014

Hey, more cops. And they're not jaded yet!

 

---

Police recruits graduate

THE ENQUIRER

 

The Cincinnati Police Department's 100th recruit class will graduate today in a 1 p.m. ceremony at the Duke Energy Center, 525 Elm St., downtown.

 

Forty-six new Cincinnati Police Officers will be presented with their commissions. The graduating class also includes one member of the Norwood Police Department.

 

Keynote speaker for the ceremony is Hamilton County Coroner Dr. O'dell Owens. Mayor Mark Mallory will offer additional remarks.

 

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060922/NEWS01/309220010/-1/rss

 

Let's take the Cincinnati Homicide rate and examine it as Indy, Columbus, and Louisville do; evaluate it on the county level (more or less).  In 2004, the most recent statistics available on the coroner's website let's assume there are 25 homicides in the balance of hamilton county (pop. 500,000) and a record breaking 80 homicides in the city (pop. 300,000).  That would make the homicide rate 13 per 100,000.  Cincinnati would be tied for 53rd with Indy, and in better shape than 47th Columbus, 29th Dayton, and 18th Cleveland. 

Eh, I think too much emphasis is put on murders. Murders, from my understanding, for the most part are not random. Overall crime is a better indication I think.

^I agree.  Break-ins, muggings, robberies, rapes, assaults - they're the crimes that drive people out, keep a neighborhood impoverished, and create the environment that breeds murders...

You guys should see the enquire comment section about crime in Cincinnati. It's 52 pages long. Some said they moved to Bright, Indiana to get away from the crime and some said it's worse here than when they lived in Chicago. What a joke.

 

Why do people even work if they are worried about crime. Some people need to get a grip. Crime is not bad here in Cincinnati.

 

 

This is from the fbi's website:

 

Caution against ranking

Each year when Crime in the United States is published, many entities—news media, tourism agencies, and other groups with an interest in crime in our Nation—use reported figures to compile rankings of cities and counties. These rankings, however, are merely a quick choice made by the data user; they provide no insight into the many variables that mold the crime in a particular town, city, county, state, or region. Consequently, these rankings lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting cities and counties, along with their residents.

 

source: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/about/variables_affecting_crime.html

MOST ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS NEW ITEM OF THE WEEK!!!

 

Check out the link below that discusses a homicide at 800 MAIN STREET.  Then, read the caption for the pictures on the right.  I swear they have monkeys banging on typewriters that come up with some of this stuff.

 

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/09/24/mainst_homicide.html

This came in over the interweb today if anybody is interested.  Saul Green and a couple of members of the monitoring team came to our (Northside) CPOP meeting last week and although they didn't come right out and say it I got the distinct feeling that they had heard a lot of complaints about the elimination of the neighborhood officer program and how it was handled.  Should be an interesting meeting, especially if somebody thought they could sneak something by.....

 

---

 

Tomorrow, Tuesday Sept 26th at 2pm there will be a Law & Public Safety meeting.  This meeting will begin with a presentation from the Police Dept.  as to what is going to happen with the neighborhood police officers unit.

 

I think it is VERY important that anyone with an opinion about us loosing these very valuable officers in our neighborhoods, attend this meeting.  I do not know what the police plan to say or do but we need to be prepared to share how we have been affected.

 

Please send this email to your entire neighborhood council board to make sure they are aware of this meeting.  This is something that has not been announced and not very know about it....I think there is a reason for that.  So please help, get the word out about this meeting.

 

Thank you, and I hope to see you tomorrow!

(name redacted just in case...)

Its really embarassing when its hard to get to two of the Midpoint venues because there's a SWAT team lined up around the block due to a murder next door. Its downright humiliating, actually. People can try to diminish it all they want, but crime in this town is way out of hand. Its not just about numbers-- its about people's day to day experience. A friend of mine just got mgged at gunpoint in Northside last week, then a pizza driver had the same thing happen a few minutes away. MPMF was still plagued by the same crackheads and troublemakers it always has, bothering anyone in sight.

 

Most depressing realization of the weekend: even the cabbies have given up on the entertainment district. Sad.

Nick whats sad is that it's so predictable. It's the same parking lots, the same corners that are problematic. I get out of my car at certain spots, expecting it. I have a hard time getting my friends to leave campus to go anywhere in the city and after going to Red Cheetah twice and so many crackheads hasseling us, none of my friends, especially the girls, will go with me again to that area to have fun. What I really don't understand is Short Vine. It BORDERS campus and it's a disaster. There's no excuse for that area to not be thriving right now. I see police constantly up there when i'm at Martinos. They're not just patrolling, they're always in the middle of an arrest. I don't think Cincinnati as a whole is a bad city crime wise, it's just so concentrated.

Nick

 

Most depressing realization of the weekend: even the cabbies have given up on the entertainment district. Sad.

 

Well I guess the Cabbies are just following the lead of alchemize

I agree with David that the saddest thing is that we know where the problems are (for the most part) and the tragedy is that we're not addressing them.  Let's face it, what we're doing isn't working (again, for the most part).  Vortex is good but absent an actual comprehensive plan to change the way this city is policed all vortex will do is move crime around.  A lot of us thought that the collaborative agreement was a great start.  It looks to me as though the CPD command staff has stopped even going through the motions of following that agreement.  That's the bad news.  The good news is that people are starting to notice.  Council is starting to take notice, the mayor is starting to take notice, even the Enquirer is starting to notice (anybody think the recent crime piece would have been green lighted even a year ago?).  Chief Streicher is finally starting to been seen for what he is, a relic of a bygone era of policing where everything comes down from the top and citizens are suspects rather than partners.  My personal sense is that this train of thought is gaining momentum but it wouldn't be a bad idea for folks to send a letter, an email, or make a call to council people, the mayor, and the city manager to let them know if you agree.  I'm hopeful that the new city manager who is outside the cinci power structure may have the guts to finally take on Streicher.  I don't think we can make a whole lot of progress as long as Streicher and Janke are still around.

I'm reading this book called The Tipping Point, it's really interesting. I'm gonna make a thread on it soon. It explains social epidemics including crime surges and declines.

I'm sure everyone here has probably read this already, but I'm posting it for the benefit of those who might not have had the opportunity to see it. It's our weekly crime story:

 

 

PHOTO: Phil Wessler was the victim of a robbery and shooting in Clifton last year. He has fully recovered, despite losing a great deal of blood at the time of the assault. The Enquirer / Craig Ruttle

 

PHOTO: Velma Sanders of Winton Hills vents her frustration during a Sept. 12 community hearing on crime. ENQUIRER FILE PHOTO

 

PHOTO: Woody Pack, owner of Pack Pharmacy in O'Bryonville, was a victim of an armed robbery. Pack said things have calmed down since police increased foot patrols. THE ENQUIRER / MICHAEL E. KEATING

 

Multimedia

* Survey: How safe you feel (PDF)

* Map: Comparing neighborhood crime (PDF)

* Map: Where violent crimes are committed (PDF)

* Homicide rates for major U.S. cities

 

Crime's reach spreading out

With incidents increasing in almost all neighborhoods, residents grow weary

BY DAN KLEPAL | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

Whether Cincinnati is getting safer depends on where you live.

 

Crime is creeping from the inner city to outer ring and more affluent neighborhoods such as Oakley, Hyde Park, Mt. Adams and North Avondale, an Enquirer analysis shows.

 

Since this decade began, 33 of Cincinnati's 52 neighborhoods have seen double-digit increases in "Part 1" crime, which includes all violent crime plus burglary, theft and auto theft.

 

Several high-profile killings have propelled the issue to a top community concern. Most recently, the shooting death of chemist Philip Bates on his front porch in North Avondale caused outrage and demands for more action.

 

E-mail [email protected]

 

Biggest increase in neighborhoods from 2000-2005

Carthage: From 186 crimes to 343 - an 84.4 percent jump, the highest in the city.

The Price Hills: Lower Price Hill (a 69.7 percent increase) and West Price Hill (59.2 percent) rank 3rd and 4th on the list of largest increases. East Price Hill is lower on the list, but still grew by 32.6 percent.

Oakley: Nearly 200 additional crimes meant a hike of 39.9 percent.

Westwood: The city's largest neighborhood saw a 36.5 percent jump, because of 600 additional crimes.

Hyde Park, Mt. Adams and North Avondale: All affluent neighborhoods that have seen increases of more than 30 percent - a total of 285 more crimes.

 

Annual crime by level

Year Pt 1 Pt 2 Total

1999 23,650 16,559 40,209

2000 23,448 16,414 39,862

2001 28,262 17,373 45,635

2002 29,226 18,429 47,655

2003 28,036 18,261 46,297

2004 26,980 17,365 44,345

2005 27,245 16,182 43,427

 

From Cincinnati Police Department

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060924/NEWS01/609240371/-1/rss

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And this tidbit from the 9/26/06 Enquirer:

 

 

Panel to mayor: Pay for guard

THE ENQUIRER

 

Cincinnati City Council's Finance Committee passed a motion Monday that would require the mayor to pay out of his own office budget for the full-time police officer who has been hired to protect him.

 

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060926/NEWS01/609260372/1056

 

Part I crimes are really misleading.  In Clifton, 70-80% of the Part I crimes were either shoplifting, non-violent theft, or theft from automobiles. (Source: District 5 Police Lieutenant)  Personally, I believe these should be considered Part II or less serious crimes.

This graphic goes with the story above (that everybody has already read) posted by Grasscat.

I would like to say that one of the reasons for one of those blobs of green in the middle of the city is active community members like Horosho.

I would like to say that one of the reasons for one of those blobs of green in the middle of the city is active community members like Horosho.

 

Jeez thanks!  However I would note that I'm not even one of the most active folks in Northside.  In particular, the folks that do the court watch program have been very good at getting stay away conditions attached to our local ne'er do wells' probation and, probably more importantly, making these guys realize that if you commit a crime in Northside, there will be a member of the community at your sentencing and you will be better served committing crimes in another neighborhood.  In addition a lot of times our efforts can have exactly the reverse effect on crime stats since we uniformly instruct people to report any crime so that the police know about it and can deal with it.  Quimbob you probably remember the porch plant thief of a couple years ago.  When that happened, we strongly encouraged people to report the crimes.  Although it may seem trivial to some, having items stolen from your porch is really a drag.  Long story short, the guy got caught but our crime stats went way up, not necessarily because crimes did but because more people reported the crimes that were happening.  So... sometimes the rise in crime rate can be a good thing.  That said, we still have a lot of work to do, there's no doubt about that. 

<soapbox>We have gotten nothing but support at the district level but we have gotten nothing at all from the CPD command staff.  The single biggest thing we, as a City, can do to reduce crime, in my opinion, is to truly embrace CPOP.  It works.  We will never embrace CPOP with Streicher and Janke running the department with oversight (???) from a Law and Public Safety commitee chaired by Cecil Thomas.</soapbox>

Needless to say, not everybody appreciates our efforts.  These were posted up and down Hamilton avenue this morning....

 

 

Can't please all the people all the time.....

Police foot patrols to go on

BY EILEEN KELLEY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

September 29, 2006

 

CINCINNATI - The summer has come and gone, but Cincinnati's foot patrol officers are staying around.

 

Officers who normally would have been sent back to their regular beats on Monday, when the funding runs out, will be on foot patrol through year's end.

 

Mayor Mark Mallory's office is expected to announce the continuation of foot patrols when it announces other crimefighting plans.

 

 

E-mail [email protected]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060929/NEWS01/609290402/1056/NEWS01

How do foot patrols cost additional money?  If they are in addition to regular cruiser patrols then I guess they would cost more, but if they are just replacing regular cruiser patrols wouldn't they be cheaper?  (saves on gas, wear and tear on cars).

My uneducated guess would be that some police union contract exists whereby officers on foot get higher pay.  Otherwise, I can't explain it either.

My understanding is that staffing is based on the number of units that are available to answer radio runs and that since foot patrol officers are not available to answer radio runs (unless, of course, they happen in close proximity to their location) foot patrols are not considered as helping to meet the staffing needs of that particular beat and so they cannot be considered to have 'replaced' a patrol car and, as such, you still need to have the same amount of cars working in addition to any walking patrols.

^thanks, that actually makes a lot of sense

 

From the 10/1/06 Enquirer:

 

 

PHOTO: To kick off "CeaseFire Cincinnati," a group of marchers hit the streets of Avondale shouting "Stop the shooting." The Enquirer/Tony Jones

 

'Ceasefire' effort hits the streets

'You know why we're here? So you can grow up'

BY LORI KURTZMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

AVONDALE - The four boys playing on swings at the Haven Tot Lot stopped to stare as a group walked down the street carrying signs and chanting, "Stop the shooting, stop the killing!"

 

As the 50 or so people paused at a makeshift memorial for a recent shooting victim - a cluster of fake flowers stuck into the ground across the street from the Haven Street playground - the boys pondered aloud the meaning of another of the group's chants: "Cease fire!"

 

E-mail [email protected].

 

For more information

www.myspace.com/ceasefirecincinnati

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061001/NEWS01/610010437/1056/rss02

 

I love these nicknames

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061006/NEWS01/310060027

 

Feds indict drug gang

BY DAN HORN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

Federal authorities accused nine people today of participating in a gang that sold heroin and threatened, shot or killed rival drug dealers for at least three years in Cincinnati.

 

The gang, known as A-1 Darkside or the Grimmie Network, imported drugs from New York and intimidated those who got in their way, federal authorities say.

 

A federal indictment unsealed today charges the accused gang members with conspiracy and drug charges.

 

E-mail [email protected]

Here are a few articles from the Enquirer regarding assholes getting what's coming to them...

 

The sick f$&ks who shot the old man, Charles Iles, in East Price Hill last Halloween:

Halloween crime earns 18 years (10/9/06)

 

"Bonafide Hustler" who murdered Robby Pursley outside of Mulligan's in January and is accused of other crimes, such as kidnapping children:

New evidence stalls trial (10/11/06)

Trial of suspect in Hyde Park shooting delayed (10/12/06)

---

From the 10/9/06 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Rewards for crime info may increase

By Joe Wessels

Post contributor

 

Seeing a crime happen in Hamilton County could start paying witnesses big bucks - if they are willing to come forward with information.

 

Under a plan to be proposed by Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune at the commission's weekly meeting Wednesday, up to $50,000 in county funds could be used as reward money to help solve difficult cases, such as the recent murder of Philip Bates, husband of Cincinnati school board member Melanie Bates, who was shot in the early morning hours of Aug. 27 on the steps of his North Avondale home. The crime remains unsolved despite a reward of $5,000.

 

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061009/NEWS01/610090346

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From the 10/13/06 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Price Hill: Safety is the main issue

By Joe Wessels

Post contributor

 

Safety is all anyone really wants.

 

That was the message Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and Council Member Laketa Cole heard as they walked the streets of Price Hill Thursday afternoon, speaking to residents and business owners.

 

"Safety is the main issue," said Dave Faigle, co-owner, with his brother Joe, of Joseph Faigle & Sons Jewelers along Glenway Avenue in West Price Hill.

 

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061013/NEWS01/610130353

 

I was at a brewery district meeting and a 3cdc representative said the crime was down 54% in OTR this year.  Sounds like a pretty good number

Cameras snap shooters

City plans to put high-tech system in place next year

BY DAN KLEPAL | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

October 17, 2006

 

PHOTO: Cincinnati Police Spec. Jeff Bley of District 3 demonstrates the use of the Mobile Data Computer in his cruiser.

THE ENQUIRER/ JEFF SWINGER

 

CINCINNATI - Crime surveillance cameras in Cincinnati will get smarter next year if City Council has its way.

 

A majority of council members made their intention clear: They would like to spend about $6 million in the next two years on digital cameras intended to zoom in on anyone who has fired a gun.

 

Sound sensors activate the cameras when there is a gunshot, then instantly transmit the location of the gunfire and video of the scene to the 911 dispatch center - and perhaps even into video terminals in police cruisers.

 

E-mail [email protected]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061017/NEWS01/610170351/1077/COL02

Interesting concept.

Interesting concept.

 

Here's an article on the system in Chicago.

 

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.05/crime.html

 

A couple of crime notes....

 

The East Walnut Hills Assembly is looking to get 10 Pelco Cameras from the city.  The cameras were used in the Pilot Crime Surveillance Camera Project, which is no longer being run by CPD.  The cameras are outdated and past warranty and will probably take a lot of work to get running.  I believe EWHA would get them for free.  This is in Finance Committee.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061020/NEWS01/610200366/1056/COL02

---

From the 10/14/06 Enquirer:

 

 

Police reform at 90%, monitor says

BY DAN HORN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

Cincinnati police have made 90 percent of the changes they promised to make as part of a deal to reform the police department after racial unrest in 2001.

 

Saul Green, the court-appointed monitor who oversees the deal, filed a special report this week that declares the police department in compliance with 73 of the 81 provisions in the agreement.

 

 

E-mail [email protected]

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061014/NEWS01/610140430/1056/COL02

 

^2011!!!!  By that time no one will even be walking anymore to use the steps :wink:, should the data turn up that there is no relation between the stairs and higher crime.  Ehh, you win some..you lose some :|

Citizens speak out against policing plan

BY DAN KLEPAL | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

October 25, 2006

 

OAKLEY - Eight months after the Cincinnati Police Department announced a radical change in how its Community Problem Orientated Policing program operates, city council members are still hearing complaints.

 

City council's Law and Public Safety Committee met Tuesday night at the Oakley Community Center and heard from five community council organizers about problems with the new policing - namely the lack of a single officer who stays in contact with their groups and knows their neighborhoods well.

 

 

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http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061025/NEWS01/610250356/1056/COL02

'Worst of the worst' nabbed

Roundup includes tri-state arrests

POST STAFF REPORT

November 3, 2006

 

CINCINNATI - Rayshane Fears was arrested Friday night in Newport, charged with aggravated robbery and felonious assault in connection with a July street heist in Springfield Township in which the victim was shot in the leg.

 

Bernard Craig was picked up Oct. 22 in Price Hill on rape and kidnapping charges that date back to 1993.

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061103/NEWS01/611030373

Playing catch-up here....

 

Vigilante justice, 'Nati style. From the 10/24/06 Enquirer:

 

 

PHOTO: A 14-year-old was shot to death as he was apparently trying to steal a car. Police say the car owner started it to warm it up and went inside. The Enquirer/Gary Landers

 

8th-grader killed in car theft

Owner could face charges; teen had long record

BY EILEEN KELLEY AND WILLIAM A. WEATHERS | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

 

KENNEDY HEIGHTS - Quavale Finnell's 15th birthday is Thursday.

 

He didn't make it.

 

Instead, his body landed in the Hamilton County morgue after he was shot before dawn Monday by a homeowner as the teen apparently tried to steal the man's car on Odin Avenue.

 

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061024/NEWS01/610240341/1077/COL02

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Justifying deadly force may be hard for shooter

BY DAN HORN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

The man who shot and killed 14-year-old Quavale Finnell early Monday told police he was trying to stop the teen from stealing his car.

 

But protecting his property might not be enough to spare him criminal charges.

 

Police and prosecutors will spend the next several days trying to determine whether Bennie D. Hall Jr. should be charged with a crime for shooting at Finnell as he drove off in his 1994 Ford Taurus.

 

 

E-mail [email protected]

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061024/NEWS01/610240387/1056/COL02

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Police: Clerk shot robbery suspect

THE ENQUIRER

 

A man who attempted to rob a deli was shot by the clerk Monday evening, police said.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061024/NEWS01/610240390/1056/COL02

 

From the 10/24/06 Enquirer:

 

 

Commissioners agree on tip fund

Say finding money will be tough

BY KIMBALL PERRY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

All three Hamilton County commissioners support - to varying degrees - creating a pool of money to pay for tips hoping to solve long-open crimes.

 

The idea was announced two weeks ago by Commissioner Todd Portune, but the lone Democrat on the three-member panel needed support from at least one of the two Republican commissioners.

 

He got it Monday when both said they supported the idea - with caveats.

 

 

E-mail [email protected]

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061024/NEWS01/610240386/1056/COL02

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Blurb from the 10/25/06 Western Hills Press:

 

 

52 ARRESTED IN SWEEP

 

Cincinnati Police District 3 officers and Vortex Unit officers continued to make curfew enforcement a priority on the city's west side by conducting another major curfew sweep in the District 3 area.

 

According to police, on Friday, Oct. 13, police officers, with help from Citizens on Patrol, spread throughout all the west-side neighborhoods, identified hot spots and arrested 44 juveniles for violating curfew. Six adults were also cited for repeatedly permitting the curfew violations to continue.

 

 

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061025/NEWS01/610250838/1067/Local