Cincinnati Boosts Police Patrols to Improve Neighborhood Safety

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Starting Monday, Cincinnati will increase police patrols along key streets in an effort to reduce crime and improve public safety. The Cincinnati Police Department announced that additional officers will voluntarily patrol Main Street and Vine Street during late afternoon and evening hours. This move comes amid growing concerns about violent incidents and crime rates in several city neighborhoods.

Two officers will be assigned to patrol Main Street and another two to Vine Street. Their shifts will cover the area from Central Parkway to Liberty Street every day from 4 p.m. until midnight. If not enough officers volunteer, these shifts will be assigned to non-patrol units.

“So far at least through Thursday, we have people that have volunteered,” said Ken Kober, President of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the union representing Cincinnati’s law enforcement officers. The officers on patrol will conduct regular business checks and enforce laws related to disorderly crowds while maintaining a visible presence intended to deter criminal activity.

Patrol Focus

Kober explained that the increased patrols are not limited to one neighborhood. “It’s not just in Over-The-Rhine (OTR). It’s Avondale, Roselawn, Price Hill. It doesn’t matter what neighborhood we’re talking about; when you have an adequate number of officers in a specific area, crime will go down,” he said.

Despite the additional responsibilities, Kober is clear that officers should not be overworked. He opposes mandatory overtime shifts and stresses the importance of allowing officers time off between demanding calls. “It’s not just one shooting per shift. Officers may go to three or four shootings per shift, and that’s something that certainly does take a toll, and that’s why it’s so important for them to have off time,” he said. “Which is why I’ve been so vocal about making sure that if these officers are going to fill these shifts, it should be voluntary, not requiring, not ordering them to do this.”

Recent police data shows that there have been four homicides in OTR this year, with one occurring in the area now covered by the new patrols. There have also been 29 aggravated assaults in the neighborhood, though only a few were within the specific patrol zone.

Some OTR residents, speaking anonymously, expressed doubts that the increased patrols will make a significant difference.

Kober believes a larger police force is the key to lasting improvements. “If the city makes the commitment to make sure that we hire all of the officers we need to get back to our full complement, I think we’re going to see that there will be a reduction in crime,” he said.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval plans to hold a special meeting at City Hall on Wednesday to discuss public safety and strategies for reducing crime across the city. The event aims to bring together community leaders and law enforcement to work on solutions.

The increased patrols mark an immediate effort to respond to safety concerns, but officials acknowledge that longer-term measures will be necessary. The coming weeks will show whether these steps will help restore calm and protect Cincinnati neighborhoods.